site.btaBulgaria Declares State of Emergency, New Tougher Restrictions Set in Place as COVID-19 Precaution

March 13 (BTA) - The Health Minister issued new tougher restrictions as a COVID-19 precaution which are valid until March 29.

New restrictions

All visits to eateries, entertainment establishments, including bars and night clubs will be banned as well be visits to retail outlets and shopping centres except for food stores, pharmacies and drug stores.

Schools, universities and other educational establishments and organizations will be closed. On-line teaching will replace regular classes where possible.

Daycare and creches will be closed, as well as all forms of group work with children.

All gatherings of people, including sport, cultural and other events are banned and cinemas, theatres, opera houses, museums, conferences, workshops, spa-centres, gyms, etc., will be closed down.

All employers are required to do their best to introduce work from home. Where that is impossible, they should tighten the hygiene measures in the work spaces.

All non-emergency visits to medical offices for infants and pregnant women are suspended, as well as regular medical checkups and non-emergency surgery, including organ transplants. Visiting patients in hospitals will be banned.

The duration and scope of the measures may be adjusted depending on the epidemiological situation in the country.

Prof Ventsislav Moutafchiiski MD, who heads the coronavirus task force, said the only effective measures are those taken by China and recommended by the World Health Organisation - social distancing and self-isolation. "We have urged people returning from high-risk destinations to act responsibly and conscientiously, but we have seen cases of a massive failure to comply with home quarantine. One of the causes of the spread of the epidemic in Bulgaria is a party attended by 24 people, of whom 11 have tested positive."

Moutafchiiski added that passenger traffic through the border checkpoints has halved.

Foreign travel restrictions

The Foreign Ministry urges Bulgarians to avoid inessential travel. Also, it has upgraded the travel advisory for some countries: Iran to level 5 (do not travel and leave country immediately); South Korea and Spain to level 4 (do not travel except essential travel); France, Germany and Japan to level 3 (reconsider travel); and Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and the US to level 2 (excersize increased caution). The travel advisory levels remain unchanged at level 5 for China and level 4 for Italy.

Sofia's schools will remain closed until March 22 (flu break extended from March 16).

All eateries, as well as gambling and entertainment establishments, including bars, will be closed down until March 29.

The administration of the Muslim denomination in Bulgaria said that it is suspending lectures and theological training in mosques as a COVID-19 precaution. It also circulated theological guidance for preventing coronavirus infection, quoting excerpts of the Quran advising quarantine in the event of an epidemic.

The leadership of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church said earlier this week that it is not going to change the Easter routines despite the COVID-19 restrictions. LN/
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