The coronavirus epidemic is still displaying an upward trend, we are not at the end of it; the number of infected persons is increasing by the day, the Chief Medical Officer said at the Thursday online press conference of the Operational Group responsible for the containment of the coronavirus epidemic.

Cecílila Müller said the inspection of elderly care homes is ongoing, and it also serves preventive purposes. On the one hand, they are checking the implementation of the measures adopted so far and compliance with the relevant regulations, while on the other, this is also an opportunity for a kind of consultation. Public health experts are helping with the work of elderly care home personnel also on the ground, she listed.

She said the disinfecting of elderly care homes is also under way. They started this work in places where there are a high number of residents and infections have already been detected. However, they will also carry out disinfecting in care homes, on a preventive basis, where there is no infected person yet, she said.

Ms. Müller highlighted that since the beginning of the epidemic, demand for hand sanitisers and surface disinfectants has increased significantly. She said the National Centre for Public Health has so far issued 70 temporary licences to a variety of companies for the production of such substances.

She indicated that also in this product range, there are many fake products; however, consumers can inform themselves by reading the product labels which state the typical ingredients of the product, recommendations for use and dosage, and the licence number issued for production. If the latter is not featured on the product label, it may give rise to suspicion, she added.

She pointed out that these disinfectants must be stored carefully separated, and should not under any circumstances be poured into food container boxes or empty soft drink bottles because this could be misleading.

In answer to a question, the Chief Medical Officer refuted opposition claims that the face masks arriving in Hungary are gathering dust in warehouses. She said these are stocks to be replenished on a continuous basis, and primarily serve to protect health care workers. Deliveries to hospitals are ongoing as face masks are being used at a high rate; each health care worker uses one mask for maximum the duration of a shift or for a few hours.

In answer to another question, Ms. Müller said that private housing communities have no obligations of any kind if one or several residents are ordered into compulsory home quarantine. A red warning sign is placed on the door of the infected person’s home, while at the entrance of the building a yellow sign indicates that there is an infected person in the building.

She added that these private housing communities have no obligations given that the competent authority decides and takes action in relation to individuals; however, it is wise to disinfect common areas, staircases, bannisters and lifts. So far, no entire private housing community has been placed in quarantine yet.

In light of the coming Mothers’ Day, the expert said that flowers given on the occasion do not pose a threat. However, the coronavirus is a respiratory virus, and can be easily contracted, she added.

She also said home-made cotton face masks should be washed at sixty degrees or at an even higher temperature.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)