Wearing a protective mask in public is now mandatory per new order of the Health Ministry

Health Minister Kiril Ananiev issued a supplementary order to the measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. The new order mandates everybody to wear a protective mask when in public, regardless indoors or outdoors. Until now officials have maintained people should not wear masks unless sick and symptomatic. The new order is likely meant to prevent asymptomatic infected people to shed the virus to the public.

The total number of COVID-19 cases rose to 359 today, 21 of which were discovered over the past 24 hours, head of the coronavirus crisis response team General Ventsislav Mutafchiyski announced.

During his regular daily briefing he stressed again that people may go out only for work, to buy medicine or groceries, to the bank and so on. "Any kinds of walks in various places are strictly forbidden," he said. But this statement is not fully consistent with the official orders by the Ministry of Health.

The order states forbidden spaces (parks, recreational spaces, etc.) but not the purpose of going out. Streets are not mentioned in the ban, so it would stand to reason that one may take a walk on the street. Regardless, many citizens of the capital Sofia received fines for violating the measures, who were walking on Vitosha street during the weekend. Vitosha is a pedestrian street but in no way a park.

Over the weekend tens of people received 5000 levs fines in Varna for taking a walk in the park, bTV reported. Local news site Pod Tepeto reported over 90 fines in Plovdiv as well. Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova took to social media to call on citizens to follow the guidelines and go outside only if necessary. The good weather evidently took many outside. Many were fined for taking a walk in the park but so were people on the street, namely Vitosha st.

During the past days the government has been toying with the idea for possible further restriction of leaving the home, including mandating anyone outside, regardless of the purpose of going out, to carry a signed declaration. Ventsislav Mutafchiyski also spoke fondly about a practice in Greece, mandating anyone leaving their home to send a text message to a dedicated number.