News archive of April 2020

According to the Office of the Director of U.S. National Intelligence, the intelligence community 'will continue to rigorously examine emerging information and intelligence to determine whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan,' France Press said.

The coronavirus pandemic public health crisis and its deep, sweeping repercussions highlighted the weaknesses and deficiencies of the Greek economic paradigm and model of production, especially their dependence on exogenous players.

There is general agreement that it will take public funding to get the Greek economy back on track, and that the state needs to step up and take the initiative.

April ended at the Greek stock market on Thursday with some profit taking by traders who cashed in on this week's rise by specific stocks such as banks. Despite that daily drop, April closed with a 12.54 percent advance for the benchmark, to become the first month this year with an increase for the bourse.

The government is set to approve at its meeting this Thursday the supplementation of the Health Ministry's budget by 16,500,000 lei from the Budget Reserve Fund, for providing the Republic of Moldova a cost-free medical humanitarian aid in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Strict security measures are being taken by the Interior Ministry during the upcoming May 1 holiday weekend, the heads of the Security Police and Traffic Police departments said during a briefing on April 30.

The Forbidden City in Beijing, which was closed 3 months ago because of the coronavirus pandemic, will reopen its doors to visitors on May 1, museum officials said.

The palace complex will operate from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, with only part of the pavilions accessible, BGNES reports.

"Our donation of a state-of-the-art COVID-19 diagnostic machine to Bulgaria will help prevent the spread of COVID-19 with accurate and quick testing. This donation demonstrates our commitment to the long-term U.S.-Bulgaria partnership." ~ Ambassador Herro Mustafa

1506 are the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Bulgaria according to data from the National Operational Headquarters. To date, another 18 new cases have been proven, with 2 in Sofia, 13 in Vidin and 3 in Yambol.

317 persons with confirmed COVID-19 infection are placed under medical supervision in hospital. 40 patients with are in intensive care units and clinics.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation announced Thursday it will provide $8.1 million in bonuses to 5,000 hospital staff in Greece.

This is part of a $31 million first round of grants to reach areas hardest hit by the coronavirus. Greece will be the recipient of $11.9 million of these grants.