Anti-epidemic measures in Bulgaria change: New rules on wearing masks and on quarantine

The increased number of cases of newly infected with coronavirus in Bulgaria requires tightening of control and rules for compliance with anti-epidemic measures.

Minister Angelov: From October 22, outdoor masks will be mandatory for everyone

From October 22 - Thursday, the mandatory wearing of masks or other protective covering for the face and in open spaces comes into effect again. The measure is introduced for medical purposes with two main arguments:

· to reduce the number of infected

· to protect the health of medical professionals as there is an increase in deaths due to COVID-19

The requirement for wearing masks outdoors will be in effect until the end of November, unless the epidemic situation changes and the cases decrease, announced the Minister of Health Prof. Dr. Kostadin Angelov.

As of October 22, a change is introduced in the term of quarantine of persons who were in contact with coronavirus infected. From 14 days, the quarantine period will be reduced to 10 days if there is absence of clinical symptoms.

The reduction of the quarantine period was also approved by the health authorities with the following arguments:

· There is enough evidence that a person can give a positive test for months, but will not be contagious

· It is not the same proven positive case and contagious

· EU countries have also switched to a 10-day quarantine and some a 7-day quarantine due to the fact that the symptoms of the disease appear mainly within 3-4 days after contact with an infected person.

It is recommended that PCR tests be performed on the fourth day after risky contact with a patient or carrier of the virus, representatives of clinical laboratories explained after a special meeting at the Medical Union.

It takes time for the virus to manifest , to be identified by the test, and to hurry for a test on the next day is an unnecessary effort. In addition, there are many cases in which even contacts in the family for a longer period are negative. Therefore, it is good to specify both the time and the risks before the test.

There are plenty of tests, deliveries are regular. The problem is the limited number of medical staff that can perform them. The work requires specific skills and the laboratory assistants are working to the best of their ability, the medics explained.

As at October 21, 8 districts in Bulgaria are already in the critical red zone of COVID-19 for the spread of the infection with over 120 infected per 100,000 population. These districts are:

• Targovishte
• Blagoevgrad
• Sofia city
• Gabrovo
• Shumen
• Sliven
• Montana
• Stara Zagora

Only the district of Vidin is in the green zone.

Bulgaria is still in fifth place in Europe in terms of mortality per 100,000 people. More than 1,000 people have died since the start of the epidemic. The number of coronavirus cases in Bulgaria has passed the threshold of 30,000.