Coronavirus: Bulgarian prosecutors announce several cases connected to State of Emergency, quarantine
Bulgaria’s Prosecutor’s Office announced on March 18 a number of cases in various parts of the country all connected with the coronavirus situation.
The District Prosecutor’s Office in Plovdiv is seeking to identify people who live in the city and who had worked in or visited the ski resorts of Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo between February 18 and the present.
The ski zones of all three resorts were closed earlier this week. As of 7.30pm on March 17, Bansko is under two-week quarantine because of the confirmed cases of Covid-19 there.
Action has also been taken to identify people from at-risk countries in hotels, guest houses and accommodation in the area who have visited the ski resorts of Pamporovo, Bansko and Borovets since February 18.
Once such people have been identified, they will be placed in quarantine. Anyone showing symptoms should be transport to the designated medical establishment, the statement said.
Varna District Prosecutor’s Office said that it had initiated two new pre-trial proceedings for violating the ordinance against the spread of coronavirus.
One case was a 71-year-old woman who had arrived on a flight from Italy on March 7 and flew out via Sofia Airport on March 13. The other was a 52-year-old lorry driver who had transited Bulgaria.
If found guilty, the accused each face up to five years in prison and a fine of 10 000 to 50 000 leva.
The District Prosecutor’s Office in Bourgas said that it was initiating pre-trial proceeds against a gaming hall and billiards club that remained open, admitting customers, in spite of the order for all such establishments to close. The penalty is prison for up to five years and a fine from 10 000 to 50 000 leva.
The Veliko Turnovo District Prosecutor’s Office has initiated pre-trial proceedings against a person who posted on Facebook false reports that would cause anxiety.
Bulgaria’s Criminal Code stipulates that persons who transmit by radio, telephone or other means false alarms or similar disturbing fake claims may be punished by imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of 2000 leva.
The Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Gotse Delechev has begun pre-trial proceedings against a man who broke his quarantine. The person arrived from Italy via the Kalotina border checkpoint on March 7. He was ordered into quarantine until March 23. A check did not find him at home. During a telephone conversation with him, he said that he was in Romania. An investigation established that he had crossed the border at Danube Bridge in Vidin on March 12.
The penalty for such a violation of an ordinance, rules or measures issued against the spread or occurence of an infectious disease in people during an epidemic, pandemic or emergency related to deaths is five years imprisonment and a fine from 10 000 to 50 000 leva, the statement said.
The Pavlikeni District Prosecutor’s Office has initiated pre-trial proceedings against four Bulgarians for breaking quarantine, it said.
