Covid-19: Bulgaria’s Rousse, other districts latest to step up measures
Against a backdrop of a sharp increase of people in Bulgaria’s Danube district of Rousse newly infected with Covid-19, the district operational headquarters announced on March 12 stepped-up measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
From March 15 to April 1 inclusive, a ban has been put on large-scale outdoor events.
Various other activities are being suspended, including pensioners’ clubs, cultural centres and in-person attendance at language schools and other training centres.
Unaccompanied minors are not to be admitted to restaurants, fast food establishments, drinking establishments, coffee shops, malls and shopping centres.
Managers of retail outlets will have to set up a strict access system limiting the number of visitors and ensuring a minimum distance between them, with no more than one person per three square metres.
In the district of Haskovo, in-person classes for pupils from the fifth to 12th grades are suspended from March 12 to 26, as are in-person classes at specialist education centres. All in-person group extracurricular activities organised by schools for all age groups are suspended.
Under-18s may not visit restaurants and shopping centres unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
As in Rousse, owners of shopping malls and large retail chains must create an admission system.
All natural and legal persons who own or manage public facilities, commercial, administrative or other facilities that provide services to citizens also must create a system to control the number of customers present, and ensure that there not more than one person per three square metres.
Admissions and operations at hospitals in the Haskovo district are suspended, except for activities related to diagnosis and treatment of oncological diseases, births, regardless of the method of delivery, rehabilitation, long-term treatment and psychiatric activities.
Municipal mayors must ensure that people do not crowd at indoor and outdoor markets, while mask-wearing for the public in such places is mandatory.
Gyms and fitness centres may remain open, but may use no more than 50 per cent of their capacity and have a schedule for visits.
In Bulgaria’s Silistra district, in-person classes for pupils in the fifth to 12th grades are suspended until March 31. All group extracurricular activities are also stopped.
Silistra has closed fitness centres and swimming pools, and ordered that restaurants must close at 10pm.
In Blagoevgrad district, after a protest on March 11 against the closure of gyms and shopping malls, they have been allowed to open again, subject to using no more than 50 per cent of capacity, and gyms must close at 9pm and malls at 8pm.
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