Covid-19: Bulgaria adds Malta, Georgia and Andorra to red zone list
Bulgaria has added Malta, Georgia and Andorra to the red zone list of countries, travellers from which are not allowed to enter the country effective July 26.
The order issued by Bulgaria’s caretaker Health Minister Stoicho Katsarov on July 23 also included the Netherlands, but the ministry said a day later that it would allow tourists from the Netherlands to enter the country with a PCR test.
The classification of a country determines whether arrivals from it are allowed, and the conditions for admission. The rules for arrivals, according to the colour-coding of a country, were set out in Katsarov initial travel restrictions order (in English, here). The latest order (in Bulgarian, here) amends only the colour-coded lists.
The travel ban does not apply to Bulgarian nationals, permanent residents of Bulgaria and members of their families. Depending on the colour-coding of the country they are travelling from, they could be required to quarantine upon arrival.
In addition to Malta, Georgia, Andorra and Netherlands, the other countries listed in the red zone are India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar (Burma), Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, Seychelles, Namibia, Zambia, Tunisia, Oman, Malaysia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kirgizstan, Mongolia, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Surinam, Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Cyprus, UK, Spain, Fiji and Kuwait.
The green zone countries are Austria, Germany, Estonia, Iceland, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Finland, Croatia, Denmark, Italy, Slovenia, France, Norway, San Marino, Vatican City State, Switzerland and Czech Republic.
If a country is neither classified as a green zone or a red zone, it is regarded as an orange zone.
Arrivals from Russia, Portugal and Pakistan will be admitted to Bulgaria on presentation of a valid EU Digital Covid Certificate for testing or a similar document showing a negative result from a PCR test conducted up to 72 hours before entry into the country, starting from the date of sampling, entered in the document.
Citizens and permanent residents of Bulgaria and members of their families arriving from those three countries who do not present such documentation will have to go into 10-day quarantine. This quarantine may be lifted by the regional health inspectorate after the result of a negative PCR test done within 24 hours of entry is e-mailed to the inspectorate.
For the rest of The Sofia Globe’s continuing coverage of the Covid-19 situation in Bulgaria, please click here.
The Sofia Globe’s coverage of the Covid-19 situation in Bulgaria is supported by the Embassies of Switzerland and Finland.
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