Also on Friday, large consignments of protective supplies will be delivered to several hospitals, the head of the duty centre of the Operational Group responsible for the containment of the coronavirus epidemic said at an online press conference held on Friday. He asked members of the public to observe the restrictions and not to endanger their own and others’ health at the weekend.

Colonel Tibor Lakatos said protective supplies are being transported to hospitals on an ongoing basis; on Friday, several consignments will be delivered to multiple institutions, including the Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Hospital, the South Pest Central Hospital, the National Institute for Medical Rehabilitation and the Szent János Hospital in Budapest. Large consignments of protective supplies will also be transported to hospitals in the countryside, including Veszprém, Székesfehérvár, Tatabánya, Ajka and Szekszárd. He added that next week they will continue deliveries, and will replenish the reserve stocks of hospitals.

The head of the duty centre of the Operational Group asked members of the public to observe the restrictions and not to endanger their own and others’ health at the weekend.

At the press conference, the colonel thanked his colleagues for their hard work which they are also carrying out on Friday, on the Day of the Police in the interest of protecting the health and lives of the citizens of the country.

He recalled that at the weekend there are typically more infringements because on weekdays members of the public have far more legitimate causes of seeking exemption from the rules related to the restrictions on movement, but these causes are more limited during the weekend. Experiences show that this is the time when most people leave their homes for non-essential reasons, fail to observe the rules of social distancing, and there are some who are present on restaurant premises for unauthorised reasons.

He indicated that also for this weekend mayors have received authorisation to impose more stringent restrictions on movement in their settlements. Based on the Operational Group’s experiences, mayors have used this possibility well, and their measures have served to slow down the spread of the epidemic.

Mr Lakatos also highlighted that from the early hours of Friday morning, the old Hegyeshalom border crossing station has been operational again, and the entry and exit of cross-border commuters between Austria and Hungary are ongoing. He said the reopening of the border crossing station is also great help for agricultural workers as farmers were unable to use the motorway crossing station with trailers and other agricultural vehicles.

Regarding the fact that the metropolitan municipality issued an ordinance which requires the wearing face masks in retail stores, the colonel said monitoring compliance is the duty of the entity that created the rule. Certain organisations fulfilling policing duties and public spaces maintenance personnel can take part in this, while neighbourhood watch officers, too, can notify the authorities if they detect violations.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)