Bulgaria Is Among the Safest Tourist Destinations Amid Coronavirus
Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister, Ekaterina Zaharieva, considers Bulgaria as one of the safest tourist destinations to travel to amid the current Coronavirus pandemic situation.
During a video conference of Foreign Ministers and Diplomats from 13 European Union countries, on restoring safe free movement in Europe, Minister Zaharieva stressed Bulgaria has adopted strict rules to ensure the safety of the tourism sector. She also emphasized noted that this sector makes nearly 13 per cent of the country’s economy and about 11 per cent of employment in the country,
She said that as of June 1, Bulgaria has welcomed tourists from 28 countries that are members of the European Union and the Schengen Zone, “who are not subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine, and from a further eight, who are required to go into quarantine.”
Zaharieva stressed that the lifting of travel restrictions in the EU, which have been imposed due to COVID-19, must be coordinated and in accordance with the European Commission’s Tourism and Transport Package.
According to Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry statement, during the meeting of Foreign Ministers and Diplomats from 13 European Union countries, held on June 11, the lifting of restrictive measures in the respective countries have been discussed. The participants agreed that tourism activities would require a responsible approach, which includes close coordination among European partners.
During the video conference participants agreed that while restoring freedom of movement in the European Union the situation of COVID-19 in each country must be taken into account and that the safety of citizens during the summer season must be guaranteed.
The video conference was initiated by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and attended by the foreign ministers of Austria, Cyprus, Croatia, Greece, Slovenia, Spain, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, and the deputy foreign ministers of France and Portugal.
In April, Bulgaria banned the entry for citizens of 13 countries located in the EU and the Schengen Area, as an effort to stop the spread of Coronavirus.
Bulgaria’s border closure was applied to non-residents coming from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK, with the order of the Minister of Health Kiril Ananiev.
On May 22, Bulgarian authorities decided to lift the entry ban for European Union and Schengen area countries as Coronavirus cases started to decrease.
