In connection with Order RD-01-856 / 19.10.2021 of the Ministry of Health, we would like to state on behalf of the Bulgarian Association of Retail Centers that the shopping centers will comply with the imposed measures, and we would like to emphasize that we are again faced with extreme short deadlines for reaction, organization and implementation. In this regard, we will have additional costs in very large amounts, which will once again be entirely at the expense of shopping centers. The imposed measures require additional serious investments in organization and staff, and this is happening at a time when our industry is facing an unprecedented crisis related to the increase in the price of electricity. We would like tolerance - additional time for the introduction of the organization for verification of Green Certificates before the entry into force of the order. This is another blow to the only sector that has been closed for more than 5 months without receiving any effective financial support, as the support programs are targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises, to which most shopping centers do not belong. To date, we continue to expect help from the authorities.
It is not clear when our tenants will recover from the financial damage caused to them during the previous limitation periods, and at the same time we as landlords are suffering colossal losses. We insist on a fair treatment of the state towards all companies and sites in the sector - regardless of their area and location. We call for non-discriminatory decisions against the sector. We also call for a review of the amount of fines that are imposed - to be realistic.
All established international safety standards are strictly observed in our sites and a number of security measures are applied with proven effectiveness - mandatory masks, regular disinfection of common areas, enhanced security and prevention of crowding and many, many others to ensure the safety of our visitors, our tenants, as well as the more than 150,000 people employed in the industry and their families. From the very beginning of the pandemic, we have repeatedly proved our willingness to help institutions fight the virus. We would like to emphasize that in recent months our sites have become the most preferred mobile points for vaccination of tens of thousands of Bulgarians.
We are doing all this because we believe that partnerships with the institutions are key to tackling the crisis, and we can count on their help to continue to exist. In conclusion, we would like to remind you that, as before, the institutions can count on partnership and a desire for dialogue on our part.
We would like to share that the Bulgarian Retail Association / BRA / agrees with the opinion of the Bulgarian Association of Retail Centers / BARC /, supporting the position - especially in the part of the extremely short and expensive response time - and adding that the order should concerns everyone, including the state administration.
