In relation to the situation with the new coronavirus COVID-19 in the north of Italy, Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Bulgarian citizens who reside or travel to Italy, to travel only as a matter of last resort to the regions with confirmed cases of coronavirus, MoFA said on February 23, quoted by BNT.

We also recommend that the Bulgarians refrain from attending public events, avoid crowded places, and comply with safety measures such as wearing a protective medical mask, maintaining personal hygiene, and avoiding direct contact with strangers, the ministry’s statement says.

At the same time, taking into account the current situation with the development of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus epidemic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria raised the risk index when traveling to China to the highest Level 5: Warning to suspend all trips and leave the country immediately .

The foreign ministery said that as at February 24, it has not received reports on Bulgarians in China and Italy being infected with Covid-19.

The Italian authorities said that currently 132 people in Italy were infected with new coronavirus and 26 of them were in intensive care.

Accroding to Italian statistic, 10,046 Bulgarians live in the Lombardy region; 2,312 in Vénet; 3,071 in Piedmont, 5,241 in the city of Milan, and 313 in the Lodi municipality.

The Bulgarian Embassy in Rome and the General Consulate in Milan say they are ready to assist Bulgarian nationals as needed. Bulgarian citizens can contact:

- the Bulgarian Embassy in Rome on +39 06 322 46 40; +39 06 322 46 43. Telephones of the Embassy during off-hours: + 39 06 322 46 40; + 39 06 322 46 43.

- Consulate General of Milan: +39 02 849 429 02. Telephone of the Consulate General in off-duty hours: +39 33 37 826 043.

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