SOFIA, March 13 — The Bulgarian parliament voted unanimously today to declare a state of emergency until April 13 to contain the spread of coronavirus after the number of confirmed cases in the country more than tripled to 23.
The Balkan country confirmed its first death of a patient due to the virus on Wednesday, and yesterday the number of confirmed cases jumped to 23 from 7.
The state of emergency will allow for travel bans to and from countries with large coronavirus outbreaks, the closing of schools and universities, and permit police to intervene when imposed isolation of infected people is not observed.
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov appealed to Bulgarians to follow the rules, saying that yesterday alone 14 people that were supposed to be under quarantine did not observe it.
“We want this state of emergency for one month,” Borissov told parliament. “We need it for those who violate quarantine.”
The government also plans a revision of the 2020 state budget to allocate more funds to support the healthcare system, Borissov said.
Bulgaria has already limited indoor mass gatherings to 250 people to curb the spread of the infection. The government has urged businesses to apply flexible working time and allow employees to work remotely where possible.
The Bulgarian Football Union suspended all soccer matches today for one month due to the coronavirus outbreak. — Reuters
