Varna

Deserted metro tunnels feel like the set of a B movie thriller: 'COVID-19: The Lockdown', perhaps.

Yet Sofia Airport is still running, more than most other airports in the Balkans. And it is not without controversy.

COVID-19: Arriving on time

Sign at Sofia Airport. Photo: Svetoslav Todorov

"All those who live in dysfunctional families in these times of self-isolation are at greater risk of violence because the additional stress, frustration and tension that the isolation brings can boost the dysfunctional patterns of behaviour among family members or abusive partners," Stoimenovska told BIRN.

"Thus a violent person can become even more violent".

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Bulgaria has risen to 313. There are 37 new cases in the past 24 hours, the head of the national task force, Major-General, Prof. Ventsislav Mutafchiyski told the daily morning briefing on March 28.

A fourth person has died in Pirogov hospital in Sofia, the fifth in Blagoevrgrad.

Eight new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Bulgaria on March 15, bringing the total to 51, the head of the national task force, prof. Ventsislav Mutafchiyski said at the regular daily briefing at 5 pm.

Six cases were confirmed from 83 samples tested in the Military Medical Academy and two from 51 samples from the National Reference Laboratory.

Wizz Air announced today that it is immediately stopping its flights to Milan, Treviso and Bergamo due to the blockage of the northern Italian region in an attempt to control the coronavirus outbreak. This was reported by the carrier's press center.

Flights from Sofia and Varna to Milan Bergamo will be completely stopped by April 3.

The Ministry of Education has announced that schools are closing down in 10 regions of the country over the flu outbreak. In three regions - Bourgas, Pernik and Shumen - all schools are closed, in seven regions only some.

As of today until 8 March, schools are closed in the municipalities of Kostinbrod, Svoge, Botevgrad, Pravets, Zlatitsa, Koprivshtitsa, and Sofia-region.

Bulgaria's Council of Ministers on February 27 approved to take out 155 km of the national road network from the scope of the vignette system. The roads are on the territory of Varna and Sofia municipalities.

The crew of a ship that arrived from northern Italy at the oil port in Burgas have been put under a quarantine. There are about 25 Filipinos aboard the vessel as the ship left Venice on February 21st and reached the Rosenetz Burgas port on Thursday. The tanker has a yellow flag raised and will remain with it until its departure from Burgas, medical authorities said.

All 17 samples for the new COVID-19 coronavirus were negative. They belong to patients in hospitals in Burgas, Pleven, Stara Zagora, Shumen, Varna, Haskovo, Sofia and Ruse, the Ministry of Health reported.

The samples were examined at the National Reference Laboratory of the National Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases.

Greece and Bulgaria signed several memoranda of cooperation on security, economy, energy, transport, infrastructure and cross-border cooperation during the 4th Greece-Bulgaria High Level Cooperation Council in Alexandroupoli on Wednesday.