Bulgaria extends online phase of 2021 census to September 30
The online phase of Bulgaria’s 2021 census has been extended to September 30, beyond the initial closing date of September 17.
This was decided by the caretaker Cabinet at a meeting on September 16, amending a decision taken by the government on January 20.
The online phase began on September 7, but was rife with problems caused by heavy traffic, which the National Statistical Institute has blamed on Dedicated Denial of Service (DDOS) attacks.
The September 16 government statement said that there had been no attempts to penetrate and drain the data, but the huge traffic had made it extremely difficult to access the electronic form.
“At present, the system is stable, and the necessary protection and capacity for the census have been provided,” the statement said.
Extending the term of the online phase would provide an opportunity for everyone who wanted to fill in the form online and, given the changing Covid-19 situation, limit their contact with enumerators.
Enumerators are obliged to visit every household, even those who have participated online. However, such visits may be avoided by posting on your door the unique 15-digit code that the system will generate when the electronic form is filled in correctly.
Failure to participate in the census means a fine of 160 leva (about 80 euro).
The online census form may be reached via https://www.e-census2021.bg/smartcensus/landing
For further details, please see The Sofia Globe’s reporting when the census launched on September 7.
(Photo: André Rainaud/freeimages.com)
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