site.btaSecond Coronavirus Patient Dies in Bulgaria

 Sofia, March 14 (BTA) - A second patient diagnosed with COVID-19
 died in Bulgaria on Saturday morning, the Health Ministry said.
 The 74-year-old man was admitted to Sofia's Pirogov Emergency
Hospital on March 8 together with his 66-year-old wife. Both
tested positive for the coronavirus. The woman succumbed to the
virus on March 10. The man had severe chronic lung problems,
while the woman had a record of heart issues and had undergone
heart surgery.

With ten new cases confirmed on Saturday, the total number of
coronavirus infections in Bulgaria reached 41, including two
deaths. 

The amendments to the Health Act and to the Penal Code that
Parliament passed on Friday in connection with the state of
emergency as declared were promulgated in an extraordinary issue
 of the State Gazette on Saturday and thus entered into force.
The Penal Code revisions increased the penalties for violating a
 regulation against the spread or occurrence of a human
contagious disease to three years' imprisonment and a
1,000-10,000 leva fine of, if the act is committed during an
epidemic, pandemic or a declared state of emergency and loss of
life ensues, to a maximum of five years' imprisonment and a
10,000-50,000 leva fine.

At an extraordinary news briefing on Saturday, Prime Minister
Boyko Borissov unveiled additional measures that the Government
is taking in a bid to contain the infection. The Interior
Ministry and the regional health inspectorates will be empowered
 to shut down shops if customers queue up inside. The validity
of personal documents will be extended by six months. In case of
 speculation, ceilings may be set on food prices.

Borissov specified some of the infection-containment measures
ordered by the Health Ministry. The grocery stores, bank and
insurance offices and pharmacies at the shopping malls will be
open. Restaurants and fast-food outlets will be limited to
take-away and home-delivery services. Filling stations will
remain in operation. Hotels may function, with food by room
service only. All retail outlets other than those specifically
mentioned in the order can operate, subject to strict sanitary
requirements.

Foreign travel restrictions

A full list of the COVID-19 measures and restrictions in 90
countries is available on the website of the Bulgarian Foreign
Ministry.

As from March 16, Russia's Aeroflot will suspend operations to
Bourgas but will continue to fly to Sofia, the airline said on
its website.

Between March 15 and 25, the Polish Airlines LOT suspend all
their international flights, including those to Sofia and Varna,
 the Foreign Ministry said.

Effective 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, Romania closed its border
crossings with Bulgaria at Bechet-Oryahovo, Turnu
Magurele-Nikopol, Zimnicea-Svishtov, Lipnita-Kaynardja,
Dobromir-Kroushari and Negru Voda-Kardam to pedestrians and
motor vehicles for 30 days, the Bulgarian Interior Ministry said
 in a press release. Truck traffic is heavy in both directions
at the Vidin-Giurgiu Checkpoint on the same border.

As from March 12, Serbia suspended pedestrian and motor-vehicle
traffic through the checkpoints on its border with Bulgaria at
Ribarci-Oltomantsi, Crna Trava-Strezimirovtsi and
Mokranje-Bregovo.

Prosecution service orders urgent measures

The Supreme Cassation Prosecution Office (SCPO) assigned the
heads of the Bulgarian Drug Agency, the National Council on
Prices and Reimbursement of Medicinal Products and the
Commission for Consumer Protection to take urgent measures for
the prevention of the sale of medicinal products at inflated
prices, without marketing authorization and online. The SCPO
assigned the Executive Director of the Bulgarian Food Safety
Agency to bring the control authorities' attention to the need
to impose sanctions and coercive administrative measures when
they ascertain violations of the Foods Act and to refer the
relevant cases to the Interior Ministry authorities and the
competent prosecution office.

Lawyers urge for suspension of deadlines

A group of lawyers of the Sofia Bar Association addressed a
proposal to the National Assembly, the Council of Ministers and
Justice Minister Danail Kirilov for a moratorium on deadlines
under procedural and substantive law for the period of the state
 of emergency. The lawyers argue that the postponement of the
court hearings open to the public, combined with the limited
access to court buildings and the impeded possibility to search
the records and peruse evidence, to file statements of action,
responses to statements of action, to lodge appeals, responses
to appeals, etc., will jeopardize the rights of all parties to
the cases concerned. NV/LG