Persons returning from abroad are required to face quarantine for 10 days instead of 14, the deputy head of the duty centre of the Operational Group responsible for the fight against the coronavirus epidemic said at an online press conference held on Tuesday.

Lt. Colonel Róbert Kiss highlighted that pursuant to the amendment of the government decree on the travel restrictions of the period of disease control preparedness which took effect on Monday, Hungarian nationals returning to Hungary from abroad in passenger traffic are now required to retire to compulsory home quarantine or designated quarantine for 10 days instead of the earlier 14.

He added that non-Hungarian nationals may only enter the territory of Hungary in passenger traffic in possession of a permit issued by the competent police constabulary, and they are also required to retire to quarantine.

According to Mr Kiss’s information, in the last 24 hours, 3,062 persons have been ordered to retire to compulsory home quarantine, including 774 cases where this measure was imposed during border crossing.

At present, 25,212 persons are in compulsory home quarantine, he stated.

He said 1,823 persons chose the electronic monitoring by the authorities of compliance with the rules relating to quarantine. He drew attention to the fact that electronic monitoring is a great help for the authorities as it reduces the threats arising from physical checks; at the same time, data management is the same as in the case of personal checks.

On Monday, the police took action in 22 instances due to the fact that passengers were not wearing face masks or were not wearing their face masks appropriately on public transport. Due to the same breach, the police were required to take action in shops and shopping centres in 27 instances.

In answer to a question from the press as to what action the police took against violators, he said, they are monitoring compliance with the rules gradually and continuously, and the sanctions imposed are differentiated; they only impose onsite fines or resort to prosecution in the case of more serious or repeated breaches.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)