Bulgarian Health Minister: For Now, a Full Lockdown in the Country is Not Necessary

The measures proposed by the chief state health inspector will be discussed on Monday at an extraordinary meeting of an extended panel of the expert council, caretaker Minister Stoycho Katsarov told the media. He assured that a complete lockdown in the country - everything closed and people staying at home, is not necessary for now.

Two alternative types of measures have been proposed - one of them is to use a green certificate without restrictions on the capacity of public places. The other - additional restrictions and suspension of activities are offered if you do not step on a green certificate. The green certificate is what is accepted throughout the EU as a green certificate - disease, vaccination, antigen or PCR test.

The order will be issued next week.

For schools, the proposal is to make the calculations on the basis of a municipality, not a district, in order for the maximum number of schools to continue to operate in person. The measures will be coordinated with the Ministry of Education and Science.

All stakeholders - civil, business, professional and industry organizations, will be able to comment on the proposed measures.

Katsarov has ordered an additional 1 million antigen tests to be purchased quickly, should the green certificate option be adopted, to allow more people to be tested and obtain such a green certificate. The tests will be at the expense of the state, but the taking of the sample and the performance of the manipulation itself will be paid for by the patients. The tests must be performed in certified laboratories.

Antibody tests are not a document that can certify the presence of immune protection, Katsarov stressed. One of the arguments - nowhere in...