It's Friday evening, and 26-year-old Uroš Vasilev walks through the streets of downtown Sofia along the bulky but low buildings of communist architecture and glass business buildings that scream new construction.
This guy from Serbia has been living and working in the capital of Bulgaria for several years, and he's on his way to meet up with friends he's going out with.
"We get to the bar and learn that entry is prohibited to anyone who does not have a negative antigen test or vaccination certificate," Uroš recounts the event from the weekend for the BBC in Serbian.
Since not everyone from the society has a certificate, they head to one of the testing and vaccination points, which are recently opened at several locations in Sofia.
They find a "huge queue".
"There were many teenagers there who would rather wait than go home and I hear a lot of comments like: 'It looks like we will have to get vaccinated, this waiting makes no sense,'" says Uroš, who has already received two doses.
This is the latest attempt by the authorities in Bulgaria to raise the vaccination rate in the country with the worst statistics in the European Union (EU), where both doses received only 20 percent of the 6,9 million inhabitants.
That is why Bulgaria is together with Romania, which has less than 30 percent of the vaccinated among 19,2 million citizens, significantly behind the pace of vaccination at the EU level, where both doses were received more than 70 percent of the population.
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In addition to the pandemic, the eastern members of the EU are also shaken this fall by a political crisis - Bulgaria is on the threshold third parliamentary elections in just one year because the parties have already twice failed to agree on the distribution of power, while the Romanian government in turbulent process formation.
"The people have no confidence in the institutions or the health system," says Romanian journalist Dragoš Patraru for the BBC in Serbian.
In Romania, 1,48 million people have been infected so far, and more than 42.000 have died.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Bulgaria has registered more than 550.000 cases, while more than 22.500 people have lost their lives.
"Fear of everything to do with the pandemic" - a new wave of covid in Bulgaria
This fall, Bulgaria is being hit by a new wave of the pandemic, and in the last week alone, an average of 2.800 new cases were recorded per day, according to data from the Johns Hopkins Institute.
The previous wave, which hit the country in the spring, was "extremely severe," recalls Dr. Diana Hristova, a specialist in immunology.
At that time, she worked in the covid department of the Aleksandrovka Hospital in Sofia.
"I felt like we were in a state of war - most of our patients needed intensive care and were not vaccinated," Hristova told the BBC in Serbian.
The doctor points out that Bulgaria has had a vaccination plan for decades and that until the corona virus pandemic "there were no problems".
However, he reminds, the process of vaccination against Kovid-19 proceeds with the difference that it is necessary to sign a consent form.
"It has confused many people, so they ask their doctors what to do," he says.
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Hristova assesses that "citizens have confidence in doctors", but that the voice of the profession "is not heard loud enough".
"The campaign is such that people are instilled with fear from the beginning, and my impression is that they are afraid of everything related to the pandemic - from infection to vaccination," he says.
That is why he believes that it is necessary to include "psychologists and psychiatrists" in the campaign.
"People need help to overcome that fear," says Hristova.
Due to the large number of infected and deceased in recent weeks, the authorities in Bulgaria have decided to introduce covid passes to enter many closed places.
Health Minister Stojco Kacarov said that the new digital or paper health pass confirms that someone has been vaccinated, recently recovered from Covid-19 or tested negative for the virus.
"The number of infected is increasing, the number of deaths is also increasing, which forces us to take additional measures," he said.
He warned that places that do not follow the rules will be closed.
Bulgaria, which has a population of seven million, reported 4.979 new cases of infection and 214 deaths on Tuesday, and the daily number of infected has been steadily increasing since the beginning of September.
According to official data, in the last two weeks, Bulgaria had the highest death rate from the corona virus among EU countries.
Why is the vaccination rate low in Bulgaria?
Analysis, Cvetelina Sokolova, journalist from Sofia
Bulgarian society is divided - half say they have already been vaccinated or are planning to, and half have not been vaccinated and do not even think about it.
The latest poll by the public opinion research agency Gallup International suggests that about 20 percent of Bulgarians have received both doses, and 20 say they intend to get vaccinated.
However, 45 percent do not plan to receive the vaccine against Kovid-19.
These are mainly young people and representatives of marginalized minority groups.
The previous measures in Bulgaria were not as strict as in some other countries of the European Union.
The previous government, which led the country during the first three waves of the pandemic, was criticized that the measures were arbitrary and that they changed unpredictably from lenient to very strict.
The current transitional government is criticized for hesitating to introduce measures, as well as for poorly managing the vaccination process.
Since the beginning of September, the authorities in Bulgaria gradually they introduce new measures - the working hours of catering establishments have been shortened, which is why restaurateurs protested, sports events are held without an audience, wearing masks indoors and on public transport is mandatory.
"Policemen are patrolling the subway and shopping malls, checking whether citizens are wearing masks," says Uroš Vasilev.
He adds that "vaccine conspiracy theories are circulating," which is the case in many countries.
He also notes that there are no political parties in Bulgaria that send radical anti-vaxxer messages, but there is also no decisive call for vaccination.
"Generally speaking, there is skepticism towards institutions seasoned by fear of vaccines," says Uroš.
"Vaccination has divided many families" - why Romanians are not really convinced that they should get vaccinated
October in Bucharest started with protests - thousands of people it took to the streets, protesting new measures in the capital such as a curfew for the unvaccinated and mandatory wearing of masks outdoors.
"I believe in God, not in Kovid", it wrote on one of the banners that two weeks ago could be seen among the multitude of Romanian flags on Victory Square.
It's expensive organized the right-wing party Alliance for the Unification of Romanians (AUR).
Since the beginning of autumn, the number of newly infected people in Romania is increasing, and the country is going through the situation is "the most difficult moment of the pandemic"- the average for the last week is 14.300 new cases per day, data from the Johns Hopkins Institute.
On Tuesday, October 19, a new one was recorded a record number newly infected in one day - 18.863, the most since the beginning of the pandemic.
"Romania has not yet reached the peak of the fourth wave, it has not even flattened the curve," said Health Minister Seke Atila.
It's been in effect for over a month now state of emergency.
Romania has slightly more vaccinated people than Bulgaria, but it is still far from the target of 70 percent - only 5,6 million people received both doses, which is less than a third of the population.
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Resistance is greater among the elderly, and the issue of vaccination "has divided many families," says 29-year-old Ovidiu Kondurače, who lives in Bucharest.
"Many of my friends have been vaccinated, but I can't convince my parents," he says.
"I received the vaccine for my health, so that I could socialize and travel," he told Ovidiu for the BBC in Serbian.
The decision to vaccinate is also the reason why Razvan Bukur, a journalist from Bucharest, today feels like the "black sheep in the family".
"For months I have been unsuccessfully trying to convince those closest to me to get vaccinated too.
"They are afraid because of false news that the vaccine can cause sterility and weaken immunity," says Razvan, who recently received the third dose.
He adds that "individual prominent politicians" also contribute to the spread of fear.
For example, Senator Diana Sosoaka, a member of the AUR party, has been attracting media attention for months Facebook posts in which he speaks against vaccination and criticizes the introduction of measures.
The well-known Romanian journalist Dragoš Patraru was recently, against his will, used as an example in one of the anti-vaccination campaigns because he fell ill with covid after receiving two doses of the vaccine.
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"Just because I got sick doesn't prove vaccines aren't effective - experts say that the vaccine protects against a more severe form of the disease, but not that you can't get sick," says Patraru, who is recuperating at home these days.
Anti-vaccinationists in Romania are vocal, say the BBC interlocutors, and the vaccination promotion campaign led by the authorities is insufficiently convincing.
"I expected more from politicians - they say that vaccination is good, that it is okay to get vaccinated, but those messages are not strong enough and the campaign is not successful," Razvan points out.
Six reasons why Romanian citizens shy away from vaccines
Analysis, Dragoš Patraru, journalist from Bucharest
1. Mshare of trust in the authorities and the health system.
We have many examples of doctors who refused to be vaccinated, as well as numerous professors who do not want to receive the vaccine.
2. Political messageswhich do not expire the importance of vaccination.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said in June that we defeated the pandemic, and Prime Minister Florin Citu said in August that the fourth wave will be easier than the third, so people think there is no need to receive the vaccine.
3. Lack of transparency in making decisions about measures.
All decisions are made by a group of "experts" whose faces the citizens do not see.
4. Media coverage of anti-vaccinationists.
The media gave a lot of space to anti-vaccinationists and extremists, using it for manipulation.
5. Church messages.
Religion is of great importance to Romanian society, and there are many examples of priests advising believers not to receive the vaccine.
6. Education of citizens.
Research shows that 50 percent of Romanians are functionally illiterate, which means that they can read, but do not understand what is written.
The authorities at the beginning of October tightened measures, so the working hours of shops are shortened, and restaurants, cafes, theaters and cinemas can only be used with covid passes.
Medical experts last week requested to close everything in Romania except kindergartens, churches, hair salons, shops and pumps, which the authorities did not accept.
In Bucharest, masks are mandatory on the streets, and Razvan says that residents respect the measures.
Residents of the capital feared the introduction of another quarantine, similar to the one at the beginning of the pandemic, when they lived under curfew just like the residents of Serbia.
"It was terrible and I wouldn't like it to happen again," Razvan said honestly.
For now, there will be no quarantine in the capital - the Committee for Emergency Situations last week refused proposal of the National Institute for Public Health to introduce this measure.
"Discipline has existed since the beginning of the pandemic," he points out.
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In smaller towns, the situation is somewhat more relaxed.
The streets of Sibiu, a city in Transylvania with about 155.000 inhabitants, where Carmen Kiridis lives with her family, are empty these days.
Standing at the window, Carmen sees the rain drenching the Gothic roofs and people hurrying home under umbrellas.
"But that's only because of the bad weather, until a few days ago life went on normally," he told the BBC in Serbian.
As in other cities in Romania, here you can go to cafes, restaurants, gyms, theaters and shopping centers. confirmation required about vaccination or proof that you have had covid.
However, says Carmen, "weddings and baptisms are organized".
"Recently, we have been invited several times to birthday parties, but we refused," says Carmen.
Schools in Romania are still open, and they have the right to decide for themselves whether to teach live or online.
"The government does not have the courage to transfer students to online classes," believes Carmen, a mother of two children.
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