From Saturday, persons arriving in Hungary from countries classified into the yellow or red category are required to pay for PCR tests that can substitute for the two-week compulsory home quarantine, the Chief Medical Officer pointed out on a programme of the public service television news channel M1 on Friday.
Cecília Müller said persons arriving in Hungary from countries classified into the yellow or red category are still required to retire to compulsory home quarantine for 14 days, from which they may receive exemption with two negative PCR test results.
Those arriving in the country undergo a health check, are served with a compulsory home quarantine order and are given a red notice which they are required to post on the doors of their homes.
Anyone who would like to be given exemption from quarantine must submit an application after entry into the country to the district office with territorial competence – in Budapest, to the metropolitan district office with territorial competence – against the payment of a fee of three thousand forints. The applicant is then given an order, in possession of which he or she may leave quarantine for the duration of testing and may visit the health care provider of his or her choice for sample-taking.
She added that the list of health care providers can be found on the website of the National Centre for Public Health. The costs of the tests are determined by health care providers themselves, and so customers should inform themselves about the prices beforehand.
The Chief Medical Officer said applicants are not allowed to use public transport when visiting health care providers for sample-taking, and must arrive at the appointed time, wearing face masks.
Laboratories send the test result by e-mail or via the Electronic Health Care Service Space – for those who have access to the customer portal – and the applicant is required to inform the authority (public health department of the metropolitan district or district government office with territorial competence) of the result.
Persons arriving from yellow countries may leave quarantine after the first negative PCR test, but are required to undergo a second test. Persons arriving from red countries are required to remain in quarantine until they receive the result of the second test, Ms. Müller said.
She also highlighted that exemption from quarantine and testing is given to anyone who presents at the border upon entry a certificate verifying the negative results of two PCR tests performed maximum 5 days before entry into Hungary, with minimum 48 hours between the two tests, or a certificate verifying that he or she had had coronavirus infection in the past six months.
She added that foreign nationals from countries falling into the red category are denied entry into Hungary, while the same rules apply to non-Hungarian nationals entering from countries falling into the yellow category as to Hungarian nationals.
(MTI/Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister)
