The prime minister of Bulgaria will be fined 300 levs, or $174, after he chose not to wear a face covering while making a public appearance at a church Tuesday.
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, who has served in the position since May 2017, violated a recent health ministry order making the use of masks mandatory while indoors.
Borissov made an official visit to Rila Monastery, the country's largest Eastern Orthodox monastery, on Tuesday. It is located in the Rila Mountains approximately 70 miles south of Sofia, Bulgaria's capital.
In addition to the prime minister, anyone else who had accompanied Borissov at the event and was not wearing a mask would be fined. This includes journalists, photographers and camera people, the health ministry told Reuters.
In photos taken at Tuesday's event and posted on local media, the majority of people present for Borissov's visit could be seen without a mask.
Newsweek was unable to reach representatives for Borissov before publication.
The news comes just one day after Bulgarian Health Minister Kiril Ananiev had ordered citizens to once again wear masks at any indoor public venue, following a week-long rise in the country's new coronavirus cases.
Ananiev had previously announced June 12 that wearing masks indoors would be "highly recommended" but not compulsory, with the exception of visiting pharmacies and medical buildings and when using public transportation.
Fines for violating the order can range anywhere from 300 to 1,000 levs, a Bulgarian radio station reported.
Bulgaria currently has 3,984 reported positive cases of coronavirus, according to the most recent data available from its U.S. embassy website. Last week alone brought 606 new cases to the country.
Newsweek was unable to immediately reach the health ministry for further comment.
Borissov's visit to Rila Monastery Tuesday was meant to provide residents with an update on several infrastructure projects he had promised would be carried out in the local area, a Sofia news agency reported.
"We will work more slowly so as not to risk the lives of the builders, no matter how much God watches over us," Borissov told local media at the monastery.
The prime minister's decision to not wear a face covering in public is reminiscent to the behavior of President Donald Trump, who visited St. John's Church in Washington, D.C., June 2 and posed for photos without a mask.
Borissov's actions come at a time when the majority of U.S. citizens are divided over the issue of wearing face coverings, debating whether or not they are truly necessary for helping slow the spread of coronavirus.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
