The Bulgarian Health Ministry on Thursday reported record new COVID-19 infections and deaths of 1,472 and 29 respectively over the past 24 hours, taking the national tally of confirmed cases and death toll to 33,335 and 1,048 respectively.

The previous daily records of 1,336 new COVID-19 cases and 23 related deaths were reported on Wednesday and Oct. 13, respectively.

Meanwhile, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients reached 1,732, with 107 in intensive care, while the number of infected medical workers stood at 1,727, the ministry said.

It added that 184 people have recovered in the last 24 hours, raising the country's total recoveries to 17,598.

In a bid to stop the sharp rise of COVID-19 cases, starting from Thursday the Balkan country made wearing masks obligatory in all outdoor public spaces where people gather and where observing a physical distance of 1.5m is impossible.