The changes announced by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Wednesday in the containment of the coronavirus epidemic will take effect from zero hundred hours on Monday, the Minister of State for International Communication and Relations said on the public service television news channel M1.

Zoltán Kovács added that police checks will remain ongoing. At the same time, also during the upcoming long weekend, the leaders of settlements will be given the authority to introduce more stringent measures locally.

He said 4 May could be a turning point, not only because the containment effort is entering a new phase, but equally because “the much-coveted” restarting of life is an important step also from the viewpoint of the Hungarian economy.

The specific rules will be announced in the next day or two, and Gergely Gulyás, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office will inform members of the public about the details on Thursday, Mr Kovács added.

He highlighted that the whole of Budapest and certain parts of its environs qualify as the epicentre of the epidemic, accounting for some 60 per cent of infections. Therefore, it stands to reason that in the second phase of the containment effort, separate rules should apply to the most infected areas and to rural Hungary.

Mr Kovács also said with the restarting of life the number of infected persons could increase. He pointed out that the Hungarian health care system is now fully prepared for providing care even for masses of patients.

He stressed that should any change occur in the number of patients or the spread of the infection, the rules could be adjusted. They are monitoring changes in the numbers and the situation not only with biweekly regularity, but daily and from hour to hour, he said.

The Minister of State highlighted that in some countries of Western Europe containment measures had been adopted belatedly. The restrictions introduced in Hungary were milder, he added, because they adopted the necessary measures in time, and managed to keep the spread of the disease under control as a result.

On Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced on his Facebook account that the coronavirus epidemic containment effort was entering a new phase. The rigorous protection of the elderly and compatriots living in the most infected areas must be maintained. The restrictions on movement will therefore remain in effect in Budapest and its environs. In the countryside, the restrictions on movement will be replaced with new containment measures. He mentioned as an example that shops will be allowed to remain open without restrictions on their opening hours. The terraces and gardens of restaurants and cafes may reopen. Outdoor bathing facilities will be open again for visiting. However, keeping a safe distance of one and a half metres and the covering of the face or the wearing of a face mask will be compulsory in shops and on public transport. The measures relating to the protected time slot reserved for the elderly will remain in effect.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)