The government will submit to Parliament the bill on the revocation of the special legal order on Tuesday afternoon, a staff member of the duty centre of the Operational Group responsible for the containment of the coronavirus epidemic said at an online press conference held on Tuesday.

Lt. Colonel Róbert Kiss recalled that the cabinet had declared a state of danger on 11 March. He said the special legal order has significantly contributed to the effective containment of the epidemic; with its aid, the government and the Operational Group were able to swiftly adopt the economic, health care and law enforcement decisions necessary for the containment effort, and were able to take action swiftly.

As a result, Hungary – in contrast to other countries – has managed to avoid an explosion in the epidemic, a phase of mass incidences and thousands of fatalities, he added.

The epidemic is not over yet; the bill to be presented to Parliament will contain the rules and provisions which must remain in effect due to a state of preparedness necessitated by the epidemic, the Lt. Colonel stressed.

He also said on Tuesday, upon the instruction of the Operational Group, further consignments of personal protection equipment and protective supplies are being delivered to 30 hospitals in the countryside; hospital commanders will take delivery and stock of these supplies.

Mr Kiss highlighted that the number of persons using the mobile phone application that serves the electronic monitoring of compulsory home quarantine had risen to 1,525, and the application currently has 929 active users. On Monday 736 compulsory home quarantine orders were issued, resulting in a total 11,611 such restrictive orders in effect at present. On Monday the police were required to take action due to the violation of the rules of compulsory home quarantine in 44 instances.

Also on Monday, the police continued the monitoring of compliance with the protective measures in effect, including keeping a safe distance, wearing face masks on public transport and in shops, and observing the time slot reserved for the elderly in certain shops. Due to the violation of these measures, on Monday the police took action in 13 instances, including nine cautions, three onsite fines and one prosecution, he added. Since 4 May, the police have taken action against 994 persons due to the violation of the rules related to the protective measures in force.

He further highlighted that the number of criminal procedures instituted in connection with the epidemic had risen to 396, including 107 due to scaremongering, 29 due to the threat of public endangerment, 124 due to fraud and 21 due to the violation of disease control regulations; the police have questioned 79 suspects so far.

Regarding border traffic, in cargo traffic on the entry side there are two-hour delays at Röszke, Ártánd and Csengersima and a one-hour delay at Tompa, while in cargo traffic on the exit side there is a one-hour delay at Csanádpalota. In passenger traffic, on both the entry and exit sides at Nagylak there are delays of up to an hour.

In answer to a question, Mr Kiss said from 22 May Slovak nationals and persons with permanent or temporary residence in Slovakia are allowed to enter Hungary without having to retire to compulsory home quarantine if their stay in Hungary does not exceed 24 hours.

He added that those entering Hungary are required to complete a form which is stamped by the Slovak law enforcement agencies; as a result, it is possible to track the time of entry.

He also said on the Hungarian-Slovak borders the border crossing stations at Rajka, Vámosszabadi, Komárom, Esztergom, Parassapuszta, Balassagyarmat, Salgótarján, Bánréve, Tornyosnémeti, Tornanádaska and Sátoraljaújhely are available to passenger traffic.

(MTI/Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister)