The Sofia Globe staff

Bulgaria’s Health Minister Kiril Ananiev has temporarily banned the entry of third-country – meaning, all countries that are not members of the European Union – nationals from entering Bulgaria, according to an order posted on the ministry’s website.

The ban will be in force from March 20 to April 17 inclusive and applies “to all third-country nationals at all border crossing points and with any means of transport, including aviation, maritime, rail and road”.

The previously-issued ban, also a measure against Covid-19, on entry of people arriving from a number of EU member states and Schengen visa zone countries remains in force: Italy, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. That ban does not apply to Bulgarian citizens, family members of Bulgarian citizens, and people with permanent and long-term residence in Bulgaria.

Citizens from these EU member states and Schengen countries and their family members are allowed to transit through Bulgaria to return to their country of residence.

The March 19 ban on the entry of non-EU nationals does not cover health care professionals, health researchers and elderly care professionals.

It also does not cover transport personnel engaged in the carriage of goods, crews of aircraft engaged in commercial air transport and other transport personnel as necessary.

Also not banned under the new order are diplomats, officials of international organizations, military personnel and humanitarian workers in the performance of their duties.

It also does not people traveling for humanitarian reasons; and non-EU nationals who hold a long-term residence permit in an EU member state and pass through Bulgaria in order to return to their country of residence, the Health Ministry said