More districts in Bulgaria return school pupils to in-person classes
More districts in Bulgaria have announced a return to in-person classes for all school pupils as of February 21, citing decreasing Covid-19 morbidity.
Pupils in the district of Varna will return to in-person classes on Monday, the regional headquarters decided on February 17, saying that there was a reduction in morbidity and in the occupancy of Covid-19 hospital beds.
As provided for in the government’s national plan for responding to the Covid-19 crisis, pupils will be tested for Covid-19 at the beginning of each week, with those holding green certificates exempt from testing.
The district of Pleven also is returning pupils to school as of February 21, as well as lifting the ban on extra-mural activities and excursions, and the requirement that restaurants use no more than 50 per cent of their capacity.
Pupils in the district of Montana also are returning to in-person classes on Monday.
All pupils in Pazardzhik district will return to in-person classes on February 21, while from that date, the requirements for restaurants, gambling halls and casinos to close by 10pm and to use no more than 50 per cent of capacity, are lifted.
The ban on holding all mass events such as music and other festivals and fairs indoors in Pazardzhik district until February 28 remains in place.
Meanwhile, in the district of Kurdzhali, the regional health inspectorate has extended anti-epidemic measures currently in effect, to February 25.
Pupils in the first to fourth grades attend classes in-person, while in municipalities in the Kurdzhali district where the Covid-19 morbidity exceeds 500 per 100 000 population, pupils in the fifth, sixth, eighth and ninth classes will be on distance learning.
Pupils in the seventh, 10th and 12th grades will attend classes in-person, subject to once-weekly Covid-19 testing of those who do not have a green certificate.
In the Silistra district, pupils in the fifth to 12th grades will, until March 2, be on a mixed system.
Until March 2, all extracurricular activities, visits to exhibitions and museums, excursions and tourist trips and sports activities by pupils in Silistra are suspended.
Pupils may not visit restaurants, entertainment venues or cinemas in Silistra after 8pm unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. A ban on festivals and fairs remains in force.
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The Sofia Globe’s coverage of the Covid-19 situation in Bulgaria is supported by the Embassies of Switzerland and Finland.
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