site.btaCoronavirus Task Force Chief Says Bulgarians Tend to Follow Recommendations

March 16 (BTA) - There is a clear trend of Bulgarians following the recommendations and the orders issued by the authorities in connection with the COVID-19 outbreak, national coronavirus task force chief Ventsislav Moutafchiiski said at his regular morning news briefing on Monday. He said people tend to stay at home, avoid walking around, and do only a partial version of their most essential daily routines.

A nine-year-old child who is a foreign national tested positive for COVID-19, Moutafchiiski said. The kid's uncle, who is also in Bulgaria, was exposed to the infection before coming to this country together with his COVID-19-infected sister. According to Blagoevgrad Regional Health Inspectorate chief Kaloyan Kaloyanov, the boy is in a group of British tourists staying at the Bansko winter resort. Bansko Mayor Ivan Kadiev convened the local coronavirus task force to consider measures.

Moutafchiiski commented: "This is the big problem with Bulgarian tourist companies and hotels: they receive irresponsible visitors in a bid to keep the business going."

He warned that ski resorts are becoming vulnerable to the disease. This is due to the fact that the nasopharynx overcools in a colder environment and becomes prone to the infection.

Moutafchiiski noted that some people who stay at home are easily panicked. He identified several types of quarantine associated with COVID The first type is for all those who correspond to the epidemiological profile, including people who have just travelled to vulnerable countries. If they show symptoms of the disease, they can call their personal physician on the phone to receive instructions about how to get tested.

The second type are people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, but have only mild complaints and do not need hospital treatment. They should be quarantined at home for at least 21 days, not 14 as some people think, after which they should be tested to see whether they have been cured.

The third type are patients who have been diagnosed with the disease and have been hospitalized with a clinical picture of medium seriousness. In Bulgaria, it is still possible to provide hospital treatment for COVID-19-related conditions of medium seriousness, but internationally, only the most serious cases are treated in hospital - those who need intensive care, Moutafchiiski said.

The Education and Science Ministry said that the period until March 29 is off-school. Remote electronic learning platforms are coming increasingly into use to replace physical school attendance. RI/VE
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