Procedures have been instituted in eighty-three cases due to scaremongering, 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.

Róbert Kiss said so far 321 criminal procedures have been instituted in connection with the epidemic, and the police have questioned 62 suspects. In addition to scaremongering, procedures have been instituted in 98 cases due to fraud, in 26 cases due to the threat of public endangerment and in 19 cases due to the violation of disease control regulations.

The police continue to monitor compliance with the restrictions on movement in Budapest and Pest County. On Monday throughout the country, the police took action in 451 instances due to the violation of the rules related to the restrictions on movement, including 248 cautions, 120 onsite fines and 83 prosecutions. As a result, since 28 March the police have taken action in 45,770 instances due to the violation of the rules related to the restrictions on movement.

The police are also monitoring compliance with containment measures in the countryside. In a number of instances, members of the public did not wear face masks on public transport and in shops, failed to observe the rules related to maintaining a safe distance, or visited shops during hours reserved for other customers. Due to these breaches, the police took action in 32 instances on Monday, he said.

Mr Kiss also informed members of the public that the government decree on the electronic monitoring of compulsory home quarantine had been published in Magyar Közlöny [Hungarian Gazette]. According to this, only those persons in compulsory home quarantine will be monitored electronically who consent to this. International experiences show that electronic monitoring has come up to expectations, and so its use in Hungary will start shortly, he added.

On Monday, 743 compulsory home quarantine orders were issued, resulting in a total 10,547 such orders in effect. The related rules were violated in another 21 instances; as a result, since 12 March the number of violations of this nature has now risen to 1,497.

He said, subject to the implementation of appropriate precautions, the final examinations are under way without problems; according to experiences, individual protective supplies are available in schools.

Regarding border traffic, he said from Monday heavy goods vehicles travelling through Hungary in international transit traffic will be allowed to enter the country during longer hours, from 8.00 p.m. until 12.00 p.m. the next day.

At present, in cargo traffic on the entry side there is a two-hour delay at Tompa, a three-hour delay at Röszke, and a one-hour delay at both Csanádpalota and Ártánd, while there is a one-hour delay in cargo traffic on the exit side at Csanádpalota.

In answer to questions from the press, he said the government decree on the latest containment measures is in effect from Monday. Pursuant to this, the gardens and terraces of restaurants are allowed to reopen in the countryside. However, the general rules of distancing must also be observed on these premises, and it is the operator’s responsibility to ensure the necessary conditions. Keeping a safe distance means a safe distance between the companies of people sitting at two separate tables, he said, adding that the police will check this in the countryside. If a breach is observed and an onsite fine is imposed, its amount can range between HUF 5,000 and HUF 100,000, while if a procedure is instituted due to such an offence, this amount could be as high as HUF 500,000. He stressed that the goal was not to impose fines, but to protect people’s lives and physical well-being.

In answer to a question, he specifically mentioned Csongrád County where the police took action in 827 instances against persons violating the rules related to the restrictions on movement, including 653 cautions, 84 onsite fines and 180 prosecutions.

(MTI)