Bulgarian night clubs and indoor discos will close, spectators will be banned at all sports events and public gatherings will be limited to 30 people as new cases of the coronavirus have surged, Health Minister Kiril Ananiev said.

Axar.az reports citing foreign media.

The Balkan country of 7 million people has registered 6,342 cases and 259 deaths. The number of new cases has started to rise a few weeks after the country lifted most of its restrictive measures aimed at containing the infection.

On Thursday alone, new cases jumped by 240, a record high for one day, and Ananiev said the ministry expects similar numbers in the coming days.

“We believe these measures will be enough to stop the upward trend. The increased cases are mainly due to the school proms and massive gatherings of people at one place,” Ananiev told reporters.