People infected with Covid-19 will be subject to isolation or hospital treatment

This is what the Bulgarian parliament decided at second reading of the amendments to the Health Act. At the recommendation of the Chief Health Inspector, the Minister of Health care would be able to order mandatory isolation.The amendments to the law also regulate the manner of introducing an "emergency epidemic situation" on the territory of the country or in a given region. It would be introduced only by a decision of the Council of Ministers.

VAT is temporarily reduced for hotels and restaurants, permanently - for books

The government will offer a 9% rate of value added tax for restaurants and hotels, which will be valid from this summer until the end of 2021, said Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. According to him, the decision is a political risk, but it is against the losses suffered by Covid-19. VAT on books is expected to remain constant at 9%

19 new cases of Covid-19 infection

According to data of the National Crisis Headquarters as of 5 pm on May 12, the total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 infection in Bulgaria is 2023. Today, 19 more new cases have been registered: 3 in Blagoevgrad, 3 in Pernik and 13 in Sofia. 365 are the persons with confirmed Covid-19 infection who have been hospitalized in medical establishments. 51 out of them are in intensive care units. The total number of deaths is 95.

Bulgarians are among the nations with the lowest level of panic disorder and anxiety.

Most people hope that the coronavirus situation will last 3 to 4 months. Bulgarians are more worried about the economic consequences, sociologist Marcella Abrasheva told the Bulgarian National Radio.

The sociologist summarized the results of a study conducted by Kantar TNS, which covers more than 50 countries. The more people see signs that normality is restored, the greater the desire for a speedy recovery and the feeling that it will all last for a short time. Bulgarians are worried about the uncertainty of how long the "tail of the crisis" will last - half a year or a year, Abrasheva added.

The way Bulgarian Covid-19 patients are treated

Hospitals in Bulgaria use three main drugs against the virus. Among them is hydroxychloroquine, which is used very carefully because of possible side effects, Dr. Georgi Popov, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Military Medical Academy in Sofia said in an interview with BNR. The Military Medical Academy is also successfully applying blood plasma treatment, which has helped four people so far.

Grant scheme aimed at providing assistance to small and micro companies has been delayed

The grant scheme aimed at providing gratuitous financial assistance to tens of thousands of small and micro companies in Bulgaria to the tune of EUR 1,500-EUR 5,000 has not started yet due to the delay of the expected permission from the European Commission. The EU has to approve the use of EUR 86.5 million from the Innovations and Competitiveness operational programme. Representatives of the Information System for Management and Supervision of EU Funds in Bulgaria contend that the check that has to ascertain whether this measure complies with state aid rules should end this week. The National Association of the Municipalities in Republic of Bulgaria and a number of small companies requested an extension of the application criteria.

Greetings on International Nurses Day

In his special greeting on the occasion of the day, the head of the National Operational Headquarters for Combating Covid-19 Prof. Dr. Ventsislav Mutafchiyski thanked for the efforts, high professionalism and dedication. Meanwhile, the Association of Nurses has called on the responsible institutions to improve working conditions and increase wages, with a petition containing 12,000 signatures. The pandemic shows that there should be reforms, because there are almost no nurses left in Bulgaria, Maya Ilieva, chairwoman of the nurses' union, told BNR.

Music video about Covid-19 pandemic features Sofia among 18 iconic world cities

Twelve musicians and 21 filmmakers from around the world have created a music video аbout the slow down of life during the pandemic. The Bulgarian director Andrey Hadzhivasilev participates with aerial shots of Sofia. The project called "Pause" shows the rhythm of life in 18 iconic cities on 5 continents. 

One of the best qualities of people is to support each other and to be together, albeit physically distant, regardless of nationality, religion and ethnicity, says Andrey Hadzhivasilev about his participation.

The video can be watched at https://youtu.be/-LksC6WcVVU

Compiled by Darina Grigorova

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