PCR testing, instead of imposing quarantine, should be the guiding principle when traveling in and around the EU, bringing together all Member States in the Community. The Association of Bulgarian Tour Operators and Travel Agents (ABTTA) insists on this in a letter to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism Mariana Nikolova, the Minister of Health Kostadin Angelov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva, the Transport Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and the President of NIGHT Gen. Ventsislav Mutafchiiski.
The organization is concerned that this principle is about to be dropped from the draft Council recommendations. The quarantine measures have a devastating effect on cross-border travel and destroy the chances of rebuilding the transport and tourism sectors, the ABTTA letter said.
Quarantines are not necessary and should be replaced by departure tests based on an agreed EU testing protocol, said the tour operator, whose position coincides with that of their European counterparts, united in various organizations.