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© Julia Lazarova
After two months of waiting, the state of emergency in Bulgaria imposed due to the epidemic of COVID-19 ends on May 13.
Its formal abolition aims to ease tensions over political and human rights issues, rather than changing the rules the country has been experiencing in recent weeks. Most of the current restrictions, as well as measures to support companies and employees, will continue to apply in the next two months.
Or at least that’s what the governing coalition GERB and United Patriots predicts, which approved the legal texts for the continuation of current regulations after the end of the state of emergency: the changes in the Health Law were adopted last night in an extraordinary session of the parliament that lasted more than 8 hours.
However, surprises are not excluded, as GERB has observed all the vicious traditions of rulemaking: amendments to multi-order laws through Health Law texts, passing them at the last minute, and editing them “to foot “during the plenary discussion. In addition to their submission for enactment by the President at 12 no 5. Both can lead to a dispute both over the substance and over the validity of the laws.
Restrictions: unchanged
After May 13, the restrictive measures imposed against the spread of the coronavirus remain unchanged. The reason: most of them were introduced by orders of the Minister of Health, who will continue to operate until their repeal.
The following are prohibited:
– living in closed public places without protective masks
– visits to supermarkets and pharmacies between 8.30 and 10.30 for under 60s.
– sitting on benches and meadows in city parks and gardens
– breach of the quarantine imposed by the authorities (for fines – here)
Without exception, there is still the 14-day isolation of the home, which is committed to respecting all those who come from abroad.
The sanctions for the violation of the anti-epidemiological measures continue to be from BGN 300 to BGN 1,000 for the first violation and BGN 1,000 to 2,000 for the second. The sanction of BGN 5,000 for violation of isolation, incl. and for contact persons.
They are allowed remotely and the disinfection measures are:
– walks in parks and mountains at a distance of at least 2.5 m
– individual outdoor sports and swimming in the pools
– Visits to cinemas, museums, galleries and libraries in the interior, as well as cultural events in outdoor settings.
– Collective outdoor sports for non-competitive fans (including soccer, basketball, volleyball)
– visits to the hospital for planned operations and examinations
– vaccines, children’s and women’s consultations.
The in vitro procedures, which were briefly suspended, are performed again. However, a few days ago, it turned out that some of the manipulations were still prohibited due to an error in the order of the Minister of Health. A new order is expected to allow them.
© Nadezhda Chipeva, Capital
Shops and restaurants – partially open
Restaurants and shops in large shopping malls are still closed. Other points of sale, such as hairdressing and beauty salons, have the right to operate, but by providing a gradual release of customers and the distance to the entrance and cash registers. The same goes for markets and color exchanges.
Outdoor restaurants can work, and there must be a 1.5m distance between tables, and no more than four people or a family can sit at one table.
The country’s beaches should be ready for use by June 1. The concessionaires will pay lower rates, in exchange for which they are obliged to cut the prices of hammocks and umbrellas in half compared to last year.
© Tsvetelina Belutova, Capital
Seizures and punitive interests
The procedures for the public sale are suspended for another two months, until July 13.
The default interest will not be executed until July. However, this will apply to financial institutions such as fast loan companies, but not to loans to banks that are already renegotiating.
After two months of forced leave, the courts resumed work on infection prevention measures, details here.
No 30, but 60 days of unpaid leave will be considered work experience before this year, as many employees are forced to leave on forced leave in order not to lose their jobs.
Details about the changes that affect the economy read here
Children – away from schools and kindergartens
At the moment, children will not return to schools and kindergartens. The school year will end online and no external assessment exams will be taken after fourth and tenth grade. The only ones who will physically return to the schools are the seventh graders, who have to pass the entrance exams in the secondary schools and the graduates of the secondary school. The exams will be in June (details – here)
Within two weeks, the government and the Coronavirus National Operations Headquarters will discuss whether they will reopen kindergartens and nurseries. To this end, the authorities will wait to see the results of the opening of kindergartens in Denmark and Germany.
Since when do the new rules take effect?
© Julia Lazarova
The end of the state of emergency removes the powers temporarily granted to the authorities to restrict certain rights of citizens, such as free movement. Even on a relatively simple issue, such as when the country is no longer in a state of emergency, opinions are not unanimous. According to the government, this will happen at 11:59 pm on May 13. For this reason, the amendments to the Health Law, finally approved by Parliament last night, establish that they will come into force on May 14. However, according to the interpretation of an administrative judge cited by the weekly “Capital”, the decision of the National Assembly, which establishes that the state of emergency is “until May 13”, means that it expires at midnight from 12 to may 13th.
The procedure for the entry into force of the law can also create discrepancies. The president will receive it no earlier than the night of May 12-13, and the constitution has 15 days to decide whether to issue a decree promulgating or vetoing texts. You can sign the decree immediately and publish it in an extraordinary edition of the State Gazette, as has happened in other emergencies. Even if the head of state is late or the texts have to be voted on again, they will eventually take effect retroactively, starting on May 14, as enshrined in the transitional and final provisions.
However, according to lawyers, the orders of the Minister of Health, which regulate the restrictive measures, will be vulnerable in the meantime. If on May 13, when we will no longer be in a state of emergency, and the Law on Amendments to the Health Law has not yet been adopted, the Law on Emergency Measures will not be modified, Maria Sharkova explained in an interview with BNR. , lawyer and specialist in medical law. According to her, this creates preconditions after the abolition of the state of emergency, the reasons for the acts issued in relation to the law so that it disappears and “during this period some of the restrictive measures are illegal with all the consequences.”
