site.btaBulgaria Plans to Loosen COVID-19 Restrictions in April

Sofia, March 30 (BTA) - A loosening of COVID-19 restrictions is
planned for April, Bulgarian Health Minister Kostadin Angelov
told a news briefing here on Tuesday. Pupils will be probably
back to school from April 12, and toddlers may return to
kindergartens from April 5. The timetable for a restart of
in-person classes has yet to be specified.

Shopping malls and large retail outlets will remain closed on
April 1, except those that can arrange service outdoors.
Restaurants may be allowed to operate in their open-air
sections.

The number of hospitalized patients is edging down, Angelov
said, adding that hospitals are coping with the workload and
that enough protective means, apparatus and oxygen have been
provided. "All medical-treatment facilities are supplied with
oxygen on time. If any supply is delayed, I will not hesitate to
 order a ban on oxygen exports," the Health Minister assured the
 media.

The pressure on the healthcare system is uneven at this point,
but two-thirds of the administrative regions have no problems
with beds and workload, the Chief State Health Inspector Angel
Kunchev said at the news briefing. In his words, the pressure is
 significant, but the system's capacity to handle it is just as
significant. Kunchev said that the loosening of the
epidemic-control measures, planned for April 1, is warranted by
the fact that over a million Bulgarians are now protected
against the virus, either by passing through the infection or
through vaccination.

People will be free to choose a vaccine by the end of April,
Kunchev also said.

Inoculation through all channels will be prioritized during the
next two months, he stressed, adding that the single-dose
Johnson & Johnson vaccine is expected in the second half of
April. It is easier to use because it does not have to be kept
at extremely low temperatures.

A shipment of 51,600 doses of the Moderna vaccine arrived in
Bulgaria on Tuesday, and 151,000 AstraZeneca doses are expected
on Wednesday.

Angelov said that approximately 700,000 vaccine doses are due to
 arrive in April, and this quantity may be increased through
negotiations. "We are exceedingly optimistic about the pace of
vaccination," the Health Minister added. NV/LG