On Saturday, protective supplies carried by seven planes, including the world’s largest cargo carrier, will arrive in Hungary, the head of the duty centre of the Operational Group responsible for the containment of the coronavirus epidemic said at an online press conference.

Tibor Lakatos added that the unloading and transportation to warehouses of the consignments was ongoing; from China an An-124 cargo plane is bringing protective supplies to Hungary.

He also said on Friday the Operational Group had forwarded protective supplies to some 50 hospitals as well as to police units; the replenishment of stocks is being organised on an ongoing basis.

Regarding the situation at the borders, Mr Lakatos said there are no delays in incoming traffic, returning Hungarians need not wait. However, in outgoing traffic towards the direction of Romania there are delays caused by a new measure introduced by the Romanian authorities. The Romanian authorities are not letting through anyone, either in passenger, or in cargo traffic continuously. Instead, they are clustering together 30 to 40 vehicles and are directing them to a specified part of the country, he said.

In the context of Hungarians entering Hungary, he said compulsory home quarantine has now been ordered for more than 12,000 persons.

He said the Operational Group reviewed the effects of the measures implemented so far, the available human resources and stocks of supplies, and they proposed further measures in the interest of maintaining care. He said the police, too, had received large stocks of protective supplies. He indicated that also next week deliveries of protective supplies will be arriving in Hungary continuously.

In answer to a journalist’s question regarding where protective supplies are being taken, he said they are stocked at the State Centre for Health Care Supplies, from which they are distributed, primarily to health care workers whom they supply for one week in advance. Once there are sufficient stocks in health care institutions, they will be followed by law enforcement agencies, to be followed by government agencies according to the order of priority determined by the Operational Group, and finally by pharmacies.

In answer to a question regarding the possibility that due to the nice spring weather people will go outdoors and could congregate, he said also to date the police have made every effort to proceed in a humane manner, and have mostly cautioned those – 1,849 persons in total – who failed to comply with the restrictions. They have prosecuted 317 persons, and have imposed onsite fines in 224 instances. He warned that it is important to observe the rules not in order to avoid a fine, but in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

Mr Lakatos pointed out in answer to a question of the public service television news channel M1 regarding the appearance of fake news that they make the work of the authorities substantially more difficult. He mentioned as examples rumours about territorial lockdowns and shortages of goods, in consequence of which people bought up stocks in several places. He added that maintaining the stocks of stores had tied up significant resources. He said any agency, authority or business could find itself in a difficult situation if rumours of this nature are spread.

He added that he is asking everyone to carefully word any news they may post. There have been examples where even persons in responsible positions made statements which – while they were not designed to harm – were “by virtue of the choice of words, capable of creating panic,” he said. He stressed that this also had a negative impact on members of the public, and made effective action more difficult.

Regarding care for the elderly living on their own, he said local governments have a statutory obligation to provide for them, mostly by using the services of social workers.

In answer to a question regarding transit traffic, he said at the Hungarian-Austrian border section every day more than 1,000 persons and in cargo traffic – solely between 9.00 p.m. and 5.00 a.m. – some 2,000 vehicles cross the border. They can only follow specific routes and can only stop at designated rest areas which are monitored.

In response to a question about what the appropriation of 58 hotels – which Prime Minister Viktor Orbán mentioned in a radio interview on Friday – means, Mr Lakatos said the disaster management legislation allows this for the event that the need arises for the regrouping of human resources around the country so that they can provide accommodation for physicians and nurses. They will also use student residence facilities for the purpose. He added that they would use hotels and student residence facilities not for patients, but for accommodation for those taking part in the containment effort if necessary.

(MTI)