PM: Government relaxes 5 measures introduced to combat coronavirus

Since yesterday, there has been easing in the coronavirus lockdown measures. I am tired of listening how in other countries there has been relaxation of the measures. Bulgaria is one of the countries, if not the first, that introduced measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, and because they were timely, we have been able to keep a slow increase in the number of patients to this day, Bulgaria’s Prime minister Boyko Borissov said on April 21 during a briefing in the Council of Minister together with Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov.

The relaxation includes 5 measures: 1. Opening of markets; 2. Open entry into and exit from Sofia; 3. Immunization of babies is allowed; 4. Women's consultations are allowed; 5. Planned operations are allowed, he explained.

"What Slovenia and Germany say they have eased as measures, we had not banned in the first place.In Slovenia, they have eased construction, we have not prohibited any construction," the PM said.

Borissov especially thanked the Ministry of Interior for their work during the state of emergency.

Boyko Borissov, PM: Interior Minister Mladen Marinov has offered 15 200 police officers on the first line to be given BGN 650 each, in of rewards. That makes about $ 10 million. We start paying them today.

He specified that in Bulgaria walking in the street has not not restricted. And there has been no curfew. “Nobody presses people. "Some even decided that they could break the elementary quarantine and go round the country and create a lot of trouble for themselves and for the officials who processed the documents, required for the travel," the PM said.

"This will continue until the end of the state of emergency. God forbid, after May 13, everything will go," Borisov added.

Boyko Borissov, Prime Minister: What more to ease? The parks and mountains remained. We had a coalition council today, and we talked with our colleagues. Unfortunately, we are on a steep coronavirus curve now. Large groups of people start to get ill. The results of these recent trips during the holidays, of this mass getting together of people that we could not prevent. We did the best so that people do not feel like prisoners, According to the task force, on Friday-Saturday we will already have a much clearer picture of the growth in the number of coronavirus cases.

The world is affected by the coronavirus, he added. Like to every person who is sick, you want to tell him that there is a very good cure, that he will recover very quickly and be healthy. Many colleagues have followed this tactic, for me it is dishonest, " Borissov said. "When we extended the state of emergency until May 13, we were the only ones and everyone muttered. But one by one, the countries are doing it because it is the only proven measure," he added.

Borissov said there will be a problem with the medical workers next week. They are increasingly getting infected and the increase in the total cases may become so big that there may not be capacity in the hospitals.

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov: The world has not yet dealt with the coronavirus. People get infected, people die. Yes, people want to hear that it's over and from May 1 or May 15, everything starts going as it was. If I was a ggod doctor, I would not prescribe this medicine.

Borissov promised that if the number of cases does not significantly increase by Friday, the parks and mountains will be opened to the public, but under very strict rules.

Asked about the expected increase in travellings around the upcoming St. George's Day holidays (May 6), the PM replied that so many may become ill by then, that people would not feel like going anywhere.