“Beginning on 1 September, Poles and Slovakians can also enter Hungary with a negative coronavirus test”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced on his Facebook page on Monday evening.

“The countries of the Visegrád Group (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, the V4) have protected themselves particularly successfully, and in close cooperation with each other, against the first wave of the coronavirus epidemic”, Mr. Szijjártó highlighted. “On Monday in Bled, we held discussions on several occasions, and later by telephone, concerning the new Hungarian protective measures that will be coming into force at midnight. Based on these discussions, we have come to the decision that we will be extending the “Czech model” to the whole of the V4. This means that Czech, Polish and Slovakian citizens with a negative  COVID test no longer than five days old may also enter Hungary, while a negative COVID test performed immediately following their return will also be sufficient for Hungarians who previously booked accommodation in one of the other Visegrád Group countries”, the Minister wrote.

Mr. Szijjártó previously stated that in Bled Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš had asked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to enable Czech citizens who have already booked accommodation in Hungary for September to be allowed to enter the country. “We received the required safety guarantees during the negotiations concerning the new regulations, and accordingly Czech citizens who previously booked accommodation for themselves in Hungary will continue to be allowed to enter Hungary after Tuesday with a negative COVID test received within the previous five days”, he added.

The stricter border security regulations ordered because of the coronavirus epidemic will come into force in Hungary on Tuesday, 1 September. Border controls will be temporarily reinstated along the whole internal border.

(MTI/Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister)