Covid-19 in Bulgaria: Health Minister lifts restriction on restaurants’ opening hours
Bulgaria’s outgoing Health Minister, Kostadin Angelov, issued an order on April 29 that, as of May 1, removes the restriction that restaurants may be open only between 6am and 11pm.
On March 1, open-air sections of restaurants in Bulgaria were allowed to re-open, using no more than 50 per cent of capacity and with opening hours from 6am to 11pm.
As at the time the Covid-19 situation in Bulgaria worsened, restaurants were closed again, for 10 days from March 22.
Then, as of April 12, Angelov allowed outdoor and indoor sections of restaurants to open, using no more than 50 per cent of capacity and with the same restrictions on opening hours.
The order on April 29 came on the eve of Bulgaria’s Orthodox Easter long weekend, and on the day that Angelov hailed the continued decline in the number of coronavirus cases in the country but warned against any complacency.
The order scraps the system that has been in place for several months of allowing only people over 60 into grocery shops between 8.30am and 10.30am, the “green corridor” system – not to be confused with “green corridors” for vaccinations for all comers.
The order also covers arrangements for school pupils.
On May 5 and 7, pupils in the fifth, ninth and 12th grades will attend in-person classes, while pupils in other higher grades will undergo distance learning.
From May 10 to 14, pupils in the fifth, sixth, ninth, 11th and 12th grades will attend in-person classes, with the seventh, eighth and 10th grades undergoing distance learning.
From May 17 to 28, pupils in the sixth, seventh, eighth, 10th and 11th grades will attend in-person classes, while the rest undergoing distance learning.
From May 1, spectators are barred from sports competitions for all age groups.
However, there is an exception, that spectators may attend outdoor sports competition, with a limit of 30 per cent of seating capacity, no more than 1000 people per sector, physical distancing of at least 1.5 metres and wearing of protective face masks.
(Photo: Lance Nelson of order.bg)
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