The upholding of the special rules relating to the restrictions on movement and on the opening hours of shops continues to remain justified in Budapest and Pest County, 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 Wednesday.

Lt. Colonel Róbert Kiss said on Tuesday the number of persons infected with the coronavirus had risen by 46, including 33 persons from Budapest and Pest county, while nine of the ten latest fatalities were from Budapest and Pest County. Therefore, the maintenance of special rules continues to remain necessary and justified.

He indicated that the cabinet meeting which would also review the status of the epidemic was under way. Members of the public will be informed about further possible measures at the Thursday Governmentinfo press conference.

He also said on Wednesday another cargo plane had brought 17,574 kilograms of protective gloves from Beijing.

According to his information, on Tuesday 698 compulsory home quarantine orders were issued, resulting in a total 10,628 such restrictive orders in effect at present. On Tuesday, the police took action in 25 instances against persons who had violated the rules of compulsory home quarantine. The police have checked persons under restrictive orders since 12 March, and have taken action in 1,522 instances in connection with the violation of the rules related to compulsory home quarantine so far.

On Tuesday, the police took action in 460 instances due to the violation of the rules related to the restrictions on movement, including 267 cautions, 86 onsite fines and 107 prosecutions. The police have checked compliance with the restrictions on movement since 28 March, and have taken action in 46,230 instances to date.

In the countryside, the police are checking compliance with the new containment measures. They detected 49 violations in total, resulting in 32 cautions, 6 onsite fines and 11 prosecutions. The police have taken action in 81 cases so far in connection with non-compliance with the new rules in effect from 4 May. According to their experiences, the most frequent violations include people not using protective equipment  – meaning that they do not wear a face mask or scarf to cover their faces – and failing to observe the rules of social distancing. Action had to be taken in the highest numbers in Békés, Somogy and Zala Counties.

The number of crimes related to the epidemic has risen; there are 325 ongoing investigations, including 83 due to scaremongering, 26 due to the threat of public endangerment, 99 due to fraud and 20 due to the violation of disease control regulations. The police have questioned 62 persons as suspects so far.

Regarding border traffic, he said there is a delay of an hour and a half in cargo traffic on the entry side at Hegyeshalom and a three-hour delay at Tompa and Röszke, while there is a one-hour delay on the exit side at Csanádpalota and Ártánd. In passenger traffic, there is a delay only at Nagylak; there is a one-hour delay on the entry side and a two-hour delay on the exit side.

In answer to a question regarding the continuous resumption of flights to foreign countries, he said upon exit the authorities check whether the passenger intending to travel abroad is under the effect of compulsory home quarantine, and if so, the person will be denied exit. He suggested that those who want to travel abroad should inform themselves about the conditions of entry in the recipient country on the website of the consular services. He added that from among those returning home to Hungary, those may be granted exemption from compulsory home quarantine who have recovered from the infection and display no symptoms as well as those who were under disease control observation abroad for 14 days and are able to present a certificate to that effect. Everyone else returning home from abroad must retire to compulsory home quarantine.

In answer to the question about how the police can check whether those living in Budapest and Pest County observe the restrictive measures and do not travel to the countryside, he said the police are checking compliance with the new rules introduced from 4 May, but they are also being assisted in their responsibilities by units of the defence forces, the agencies performing certain policing duties, and the organisations and associations responsible for public security and transport security. In Budapest and the environs, compliance with the restrictions on movement is being monitored by staff members of the Budapest Police Constabulary, the Pest County Police Constabulary and the Rapid Response Unit of the police. In the countryside, the county police constabularies are responsible for checking compliance with the rules relating to the wearing of protective gear, social distancing and shopping during the designated time slots.

Regarding persons cycling in the capital, he observed that the rule that persons are only allowed to leave their homes for essential reasons also applies to cyclists.

(M)