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| - Bulgaria's health ministry ordered on Friday the immediate shutting of all non-food stores, restaurants and schools across the country until March 29 to fight the spread of coronavirus. Parliament declared a "state of emergency" earlier Friday to run until April 13, opening the way for more drastic measures in order to enforce social isolation as the number of infections in the country tripled within just 24 hours to 23, including one death. In a subsequent order, health minister Kiril Ananiev ordered the shutting of all shops -- except food stores and pharmacies -- shopping malls, casinos, bars and restaurants with immediate effect until March 29. All schools, universities, kindergardens were also closed as well as theatres, cinemas, concert halls and sports venues. The football union already said earlier Friday that it was cancelling league games until April 13. Bulgaria reported its first two cases of the new coronavirus on March 8 and has since tested over 1,400 people for the infection, reporting 23 infected and one death. In a late-night session with the government Thursday the country's coronavirus taskforce proposed the "state of emergency" measure in a bid to enforce social isolation to counter what it said was an increasing number of people breaking their 14-day quarantine. ds/cdw
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