ST. PETERSBURG, March 27 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov) – St. Petersburg residents unable to leave Bulgaria because of the travel restrictions introduced due to the coronavirus infection outbreak have returned home, the office of the city rights commissioner Alexander Shishlov informs RAPSI.

Eight city residents turned to the ombudsman via e-mail stating they were stranded in a Bulgarian town and could not get to the international airport in the country’s capital Sofia; as they were informed, they could leave only if accompanied by Russian diplomats, the message read.

However, the diplomatic mission did not provide the tourists any information on the time and procedure of their return travel until the ombudsman interfered in the matter, a representative of Shishlov's Office said.

The issue was solved with the assistance of the Crisis Management Center of Russia’s Foreign Ministry and the Sofia airport services.