site.btaPresident Radev Holds Meeting with Caretaker Cabinet regarding COVID-19 Crisis

(BTA) - On Sunday, President Rumen Radev held a meeting with ministers from the caretaker government in connection with the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

The meeting was attended by Vice President Iliana Iotova, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Policy Galab Donev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Boyko Rashkov, Minister of Health Stoycho Katsarov, Minister of Education and Science Nikolay Denkov, Minister of Finance Valeri Belchev and National Health Insurance Fund Manager Petko Salchev.

President Radev stressed the seriousness of the situation, the high numbers of infected and the high death toll, and defended the caretaker government measures taken so far, including the introduction of a Green Certificate requirement, as they allow the preserving of social and economic activity, while the alternative would call for a full lockodwn of the country. However, the Head of State agreed with criticism about the way the measures were introduced, as people were not given enough time to adapt and this has caused stress and outrage.

The President outlined the topics that the caretaker government needs to clarify, including children returning to in-person classes, providing free coronavirus tests to the public, issuing Green Certificates to people with antibodies who have recovered from COVID-19 but are not in the system, clear instructions to GPs and hospitals for vaccinations or other solutions for people with specific illnesses who receive conflicting advice, control of compliance with the measures, etc.

Measures Aimed at Children Returning to In-person Classes

On the matter of children returning safely to school, Health Minister Dr. Stoycho Katsarov and Education Minister Prof. Nikolay Denkov explained that in a matter of 10 days child-friendly coronavirus testes in the shape of lollypops will be provided, if the money is allocated by the Finance Ministry and if this solution is approved by parents. That way, if a test shows a positive result, the child will not enter class and the whole class will not have to be quarantined. Teachers should also guarantee that they are not carriers of the virus.

Between September 15 and October 10, the number of quarantined teachers increased three times, and the number of quarantined children - five times, said Prof. Denkov. According to him, at the moment there are 12,000 students and 2,000 children from kindergartens under quarantine. Around September 15, only 6 per cent of patients were in the age group 0-19 years, and currently this number is at 10-12 per cent. Minister Denkov pointed out that the new measures were imposed quickly and that people were not prepared. ''We are to blame for this, but the decision was the right one,'' he stressed.

Regarding parental attitudes for this type of testing for children, Prof. Denkov expressed hope that reason will prevail and the majority of parents will accept it. ''This type of testing is widely used in Europe, it is safe and I expect that it can be realized,'' he added.

''Every lev that can help keep children healthy and help them go to school will be reliably secured,'' assured Finance Minister Valeri Belchev.

Minister of Labour and Social Policy Galab Donev said that the government will immediately analyze available data and, based on the analysis and concrete results, take measures that will gradually return students to class.
Donev explained that necessary funds have been provided for parents who are currently on leave to raise and care for children up to 14 years of age who are studying remotely from home, through the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, the Social Assistance Agency and the respective regional directorates. All parents of families with one child will receive support of 650 leva per month, and parents with two or more children will receive 975 leva, for as long as the children do not attend school.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Donev, the imposed measures give enough freedom of choice.

Healthcare Measures

Health Minister Katsarov informed that testing for COVID-19 with rapid antigen tests provided by the Health Ministry will cost at most 10 leva per test. The kits have been paid for by the Ministry and provided to laboratories with which contracts are already being concluded, Katsarov explained, adding: 'We were late with the tests, I accept this criticism''.

In the Vaccination Plan, which was adopted last year, the elderly were provided for vaccination in the last group, recalled Minister Katsarov in response to a question from Vice President Iliana Iotova. ''We have now obliged GPs to vaccinate with priority people over the age of 60, from Monday to Thursday,'' he explained.

Sufficient quantities of the medicines most often used to treat COVID-19 have been provided and there is no problem with the organization for the supply of medicines, said Katsarov

By the end of the year, hospitals treating coronavirus patients with at least 10 per cent designated beds for that will receive a total of 100 million leva, said NHIF head Prof. Petko Salchev. Frontline medical workers will receive 1,200 leva, he added.

The Health Minister also explained that it is not necessary for all hospitals to stop their planned operations at the same time. Katsarov said that such a decision will be made individually in each hospital, but activities for cancer patients will not be stopped.

In response to a question from President Radev about vaccination of patients suffering from certain diseases, Katsarov said that if expert council specialists indicate that a certain disease carries a high risk of vaccination, these patients will be allowed to actively participate in public and economic life, despite not having the relevant certificate.

Green Certificate Requirement

At the meeting, Health Minister Katsarov also defended the decision to impose a Green Certificate requirement. He explained that a lockdown will reduce the number of infected people, but does not lead to a permanent solution, only to another lockdown. Katsarov argued that the current approach spares the economy and could lead to a lasting solution if the measures are strictly followed by all. He also addressed criticism he received that the Green Certificate is only applicable to countries with a higher vaccination rate, noting that it is actually even more appropriate in the current situation as there is no alternative measure that could lead to an improved situation.

The issue of accepting that the presence of antibodies confirms a past infection is complex and may lead to a problem with breaking the epidemic chain, the Health Minister explained. ''Bulgarian experts will continue to discuss this issue and I hope that in a short time we will have a definitive decision,'' he said, noting that the general rule worldwide is not to recognize them.

In response to a question from President Rumen Radev about the control over the measures, Katsarov pointed out that until Monday control bodies have been ordered to impose only prescriptions to sites that have not yet complied with the requirements of the new measures. According to the Minister, this deadline is sufficient. The inspections will be carried out jointly with the control bodies of the municipalities, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Agriculture.

At the end of the government meeting, President Rumen Radev called for a more active communication by the government to the public when it comes to the measures against the spread of COVID-19. DT//