„Be very careful. That sucks. Observe the quarantine, because you are being watched, and we are not anointed like President Radev, where our services give only him a quarantine day as if he were an alien. That’s why we broke up with the Head of the RHI. You can’t divide people.“
This was stated during the government session by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, adding:
„I expect that after the Air Force became infected and the entire command staff is in the hospitals, now the Land Forces will be grounded with this nonsense they are doing. This is the difference between Europe and Bulgaria. The law is only for those you don’t like, otherwise you can show the law when you want from a high position. That is why Brussels is talking about fighting high-level corruption with those who consider themselves untouchable. Those who I think can do anything without being held accountable. Anyone who violates the quarantine in Bulgaria will face 100 percent court proceedings without a claim.“
The Presidency’s response to this comment was not late:
„The contradictory explanations of the executive branch raise more and more questions about the real reasons for the resignation of Dr. Dancho Penchev. The credibility of the Prime Minister’s statements, not only on this topic, is questionable. Only Dr. Dancho Penchev can clarify the reasons that led him to resign.“
At the same time, it became clear that the new head of the Sofia Health Inspectorate is the current Deputy Director Dr. Ilonka Maeva. The National Operational Headquarters clarifies that she will take the post after the current director Dr. Penchev resigned on Monday after a conversation with the Minister of Health Kostadin Angelov.
Dr. Maeva has graduated from the Medical University in Sofia, majoring in Medicine, has a master’s degree in Health Management and Public Health, and is a recognized major in Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases.
We remind you that the resignation of Dr. Penchev came after the scandal related to the premature cancellation of the quarantine of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, which later turned out to be with COVID-19. The positive test of the Prime Minister and the actions of the SRHI on the case, as well as the case of President Rumen Radev, raised a number of questions, including whether there is a double standard for those in power, whether they are privileged and whether concessions to them do not endanger public health?
The Ministry of Health announced the resignation, specifying only that it was submitted after a conversation with the relevant minister. Later, the department clarified that according to the regulations, the 10-day quarantine for the contact persons is mandatory, as well as that a negative result of the PCR test takes into account the current state and it is not grounds for termination of the quarantine. The Minister’s order also does not provide for an exception, and yet the Chief made two within a week.
