Citizens of third countries have been temporarily banned from entering the territory of Bulgaria through any of the air, sea, railway or road transport border checkpoints, the Ministry of Interior has announced.

Minister of Health Kiril Ananiev issued late on Tuesday an order temporarily banning citizens of 13 Schengen area countries from entering Bulgaria. The ban applies for individuals from Italy, Spain, France, the UK and Northern Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Iceland, Lichtenstein and Luxembourg and concerns all border checkpoints for air, sea, railway and road transport. It also applies to individuals originally from third countries.

After heated debates, MPs voted for an extension of the state of emergency until 13 May. Prior to the vote, several amendments to the State of Emergency Act were adopted as well.

Minister of Health Kiril Ananiev has reversed his Monday order, which obligated citizens to wear a face mask at both indoor and outdoor public spaces. He announced that the state will buy one million masks for low-income citizens and for those who lack the financial means to buy them. The minister added that the masks to be ordered will be of the FFP2 or FFP3 type.

All citizens are now obligated to wear a mask at indoor or outdoor public spaces following an order issued on 30 March by Minister of Health Kiril Ananiev. The minister of interior and regional governors will be tasked with organising control mechanisms, with police officers being responsible for enforcing the measure.

All persons treated for Covid-19 at a hospital are to be quarantined for 28 days. This was effected by an order of Bulgaria's Minister of Health Kiril Ananiev. The minister's new ordinance also says that on the grounds of Article 60, paragraph 1, and in connection with Article 74 of the Administrative Procedure Code, preliminary execution of the ordinance is envisioned with the aim of ensuring citizens' life and protecting their health. The measures are being taken in order to contain the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic.

Bulgaria's Minister of Health Kiril Ananiev issued an ordinance extending the measures against the coronavirus pandemic until 12 April, BGNES reported.

All Bulgarian nationals who are travelling to Romania will be held under mandatory 14-day quarantine at an address that they have to provide. The restriction does not apply to truck drivers and transit travellers, border police authorities inform. The measure is in force since midnight on 25 March.

Two more cases of Covid-19 have been registered in Bulgaria, the head of the National Crisis Response Centre, Gen. Ventsislav Mutafchiyski, reported on 25 March. Thus, the total number of infected people in Bulgaria reached 220. Both new cases are in Plovdiv: 35-year-old man and 60-year-old woman are the newly registered coronavirus patients. They have shown typical symptoms of Covid-19 and are hospitalised, Gen. Mutafchiyski explained.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides update information about emergency measures and traffic restrictions in Europe.