Sofia, January 21 (BTA) - "We are opening a discussion as we want to propose that the green certificate be abandoned as soon as we achieve a vaccination rate of 60 per cent," Prime Minister Kiril Petkov told a briefing at the Council of Ministers on Friday. He noted that the COVID vaccination rate could be one of two criteria for scrapping the green pass. The other criterion could be an intensive care bed occupancy rate of 5 per cent or less.

Petkov said this is just a proposal which will be subject to discussion in the coming days. The suggested 60 per cent level is for two-dose vaccination.

The Prime Minister went on to say that the six COVID cluster regions have been reduced to five. "The idea of the model is to forecast the spread of the virus and to refer emergency cases to neighbouring regions if the system is overstretched," he explained. He argued that the abandonment of the old model, in which COVID incidence was the only criteria, has prevented a total lockdown.

Petkov warned that Cluster Region 1, which is in the west of the country and includes the administrative regions of Vidin, Montana, Vratsa, Sofia City, Sofia Region, Pernik, Kyustendil and Blagoevgrad, is expected to enter Stage 3 within five days, which will require mild restrictions. The same applies to Cluster Region 5 in the southeast, comprising the administrative regions of Burgas, Yambol, Sliven and Stara Zagora.

Explaining the new hospital bed occupancy map that has been drawn up, Health Minister Asena Serbezova said anti-COVID measures are adopted at the regional level and are coordinated with the Chief State Health Inspector. The intra-regional differences which are taken into account have to do with bed occupancy and patient transfers.

Chief State Health Inspector Angel Kunchev predicted that COVID incidence in Bulgaria will peak in three weeks' time and then a period of normalization will begin in late February. The peak level is already a fact in some regions. Kunchev noted that 95 per cent of COVID deaths are unvaccinated patients.

School-age COVID incidence is currently the highest, but no serious cases have been diagnosed among children, Kunchev said.

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The two trade associations of eating and drinking establishments in Bulgaria stated on Friday that their members are not going to comply with new tightening of coronavirus-related restrictions, nationally and regionally, save the measures effective at the moment. The trade associations threatened with protest actions "in every single establishment".

The national pandemic task force is expected to issue new tightening of restrictions amid the growing Omicron incidence, which include, among other things, reduced capacity of eating and drinking establishments even with a green certificate requirement for staff and patrons, and mandatory closure time at 10 pm.

The two trade associations described the pending restrictions as discriminatory and having no actual health effect.

The associations demanded the resignation of Chief State Health Inspector Angel Kunchev, as well as "anyone who believes that a pandemic is controlled by restrictions on the eating and drinking sector". RY/DD/ZH/VE