WORK MEETING OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SACP ON DEALING WITH THE RISK OF CHILDREN CATCHING COVID-19 AT SCHOOL

The Chairman of the State Agency for Child Protection - Dr. Eleonora Lilova initiated a work meeting with the Chief State Health Inspector - Dr. Angel Kunchev. The reason for this is the start of the current school year and the need for instructions and recommendations to protect children during the epidemic.

"It is extremely important this year to support educational institutions and parents with concrete steps of action in crisis situations. Clear additional guidance is needed on how children will re-attend school in a safer environment. We need to give clear general guidelines for dealing with the risk of children catching COVID-19 at school. Principals should have knowledge in order to make their own decisions for action.” shared before Dr. Kunchev the Chairman of the SACP - Dr. Eleonora Lilova.

She pointed out the need for comprehensible guidelines and examples for the principals of educational institutions in the case of a child who has COVID-19, as well as the ways to quarantine classes at school. Regarding this, Dr. Lilova invited the Chief State Health Inspector to have a joint awareness campaign among the educational community.

"Despite the children’s, the parents’ and the teaching community’s fears, it is rational to accept the fact that there are still no mechanisms and ways to stop an airborne infection, such as COVID-19. That is why the measures that are taken are to reduce the risk of spreading the virus to a minimum." –  said Dr. Kunchev.

During the work meeting, the Chairman of the SACP took the opportunity to thank Dr. Kunchev for the beneficial cooperation on behalf of the Bulgarian children. With his help the possibility for performing free PCR tests for COVID-19 is provided for each unaccompanied Bulgarian child who will be returned to the country from abroad and for whom a protection measure is to be taken on the territory of Bulgaria. Thus, the SACP is content that upon the return of Bulgarian children for whom protection measures have been taken abroad in order to return them to our country, will not be hindered by the requirement to perform tests on the children without a budget.