Bulgaria temporary bans entry of travellers, vehicles from Turkey until April 26

Bulgaria’s Minister of Health on April 23 issued an order imposing a temporary ban on entry into the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria of persons and vehicles arriving from the the Republic of Turkey through the following border checkpoints Lesovo - Hamzabeili, Kapitan Andreevo - Kapukule, Malko Turnovo.

Exceptions are made for heavy-duty vehicles, special-purpose vehicles, vehicles carrying people in need of medical treatment, and vehicles performing humanitarian missions.

The ban is in effect from 00:00 on April 24 until 11:59 pm on April 26.

The aim is to ensure that the coronavirus anti-epidemic measures are observed at the beginning of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria calls on Bulgarian citizens to refrain from any travel, unless it is absolutely necessary. The call applies to all Bulgarian citizens who are permanently residing abroad.

"We have warned Bulgarians not to travel to visit their families and relatives in the country or abroad before the Easter holidays. Now we do it again at the beginning of Ramadan. Even after the ban is lifted, citizens travelling between Bulgaria and Turkey will be quarantined in each of the two countries every time they cross the border," Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said. She had a telephone conversation with her Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu to discuss the introduction of these temporary protective measures that are in the interest of the citizens of the two countries. Zaharieva congratulated Cavusoglu on National Sovereignty and Children's Day and the 100^th anniversary since the establishment of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey.

The two ministers highlighted the excellent dialogue between the two countries and the high operational cooperation between the Bulgarian and Turkish institutions in combating the pandemic and in easing measures for citizens and business.