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| - Bulgaria slapped quarantine measures on its largest ski resort on Tuesday after several cases of the novel coronavirus were confirmed. "From this hour, we ban any entry or departure from Bansko, locals have until 8 pm (1800GMT) on March 18 to return to their homes," the chief of Bulgaria's coronavirus task force Ventsislav Mutafchiyski announced Tuesday evening. "The 200 tourists currently in hotels in Bansko will be given 24 hours to leave the town or they must observe the quarantine," Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said. People in Bansko will also be banned from going out without a legitimate reason such as buying food, drugs, fuel or going to a bank, Mutafchiyski said, adding that supplies of food and drugs would remain uninterrupted. The town of 10,000 people, a magnet for bargain-hunting skiers, is the first location in Bulgaria to be subjected to a total lockdown. A nine-year-old tested positive and was quarantined along with family members and their taxi driver on Monday. A day later, a ski instructor who had already returned to his hometown in northern Bulgaria. Mutafchiyski said on Tuesday evening that three cases were registered at the resort but gave no further details. Bankso's ski zone had already been shut on Monday. The lockdown that followed on Tuesday was imposed for two weeks. Bulgaria has so far reported a total of 81 coronavirus infections, including two deaths. ds/jxb
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