Protecting jobs is the top priority, the Parliamentary State Secretary at the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister stressed on the Monday evening programme of the public service television news channel M1.

Csaba Dömötör said together with the coronavirus, harmful economic impacts have also emerged in Hungary. Protecting jobs is the top priority in minimising these. Tax reductions and the wage support measures serve this purpose, as will the targeted support scheme which will be offered to the sectors most in trouble.

He spoke in detail about wage support which is available to businesses struggling with the consequences of having to shut down their operations. If the working hours are reduced, the state agrees to pay 70 per cent of the lost wage. More than 100 companies have already applied for this support in order to retain 30,000 jobs, the State Secretary highlighted.

Regarding the changes that took effect on Monday, Mr Dömötör said the government always adopts its decisions together with health care experts, and in agreement with the Operational Group. Economic criteria are also important, but human life always takes priority, he pointed out.

He underlined that in Hungary more than 60 per cent of infections were concentrated in Budapest and Pest County; this is why it is necessary to uphold the restrictions on movement in this part of the country. In the countryside, cafes, restaurants, baths and outdoor bathing facilities may reopen and shops can continue to remain open also beyond 3.00 p.m. However, members of the public are required to wear face masks in shops and to keep a safe distance also in the countryside, he said.

In answer to a question, Mr Dömötör also said, according to their information, on Monday the final examinations were held without problems.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister / MTI)