On the eve of the 2021 Christmas holidays, the school system in Bulgaria seems to have finally returned one step away from normality. As of mid-December 2021, over 80% of pupils and compulsory school students – from the first to the twelfth grade – are in fact physically back in the classrooms .
A result that is far from obvious in what is one of the EU countries hardest hit by the fourth wave of Covid-19, fuelled by vaccination rates below 30% and a certain skepticism towards prevention measures. To achieve this, the Sofia authorities have put in place a flexible strategy, which includes regular viral tests and green passes for children vaccinated or cured of the disease, and a more liberal approach in the municipalities with the lowest infection rate.