On Friday, the individual protective supplies, 53.4 tonnes in total, that five Wizz Air planes brought from Beijing yesterday will be delivered to 17 hospitals in the capital and another 43 in the provinces, a staff member of the duty centre of the Operational Group responsible for the containment of the coronavirus infection said at an online press conference held on Friday.

Police Lt. Colonel Róbert Kiss said, since the introduction of the restrictions on movement on 28 March, the police have taken action on public premises and in public areas in 21,093 instances.

The police have cautioned 11,705 individuals, have imposed onsite fines in 4,871 cases, and have prosecuted 4,517 persons. In the past 24 hours in Budapest, the police have taken action in connection with 530 infringements.

The number of criminal procedures instituted in connection with the epidemic has risen again. So far 234 criminal procedures have been instituted, including 59 due to scaremongering, 65 due to fraud, 26 due to the threat of public danger, and 13 due to the violation of the disease control regulations. In these cases, the police have so far interrogated 48 suspects, Mr Kiss said.

Officers of the Budapest Police Constabulary apprehended and took into custody two persons suspected of theft. According to the charge, the perpetrators contacted elderly persons, claiming to be representatives of the local government disinfecting properties, and stole valuables from the victims, the police Lt. Colonel said, asking the elderly to be more cautious.

Mr Kiss said from Thursday on the Hungarian-Croatian border, the Drávaszabolcs, Beremend, Barcs and Berzence border crossing points have been available to international cargo traffic as before. On the Hungarian-Romanian border, they have opened the Battonya border crossing station to returning Hungarian nationals and commuters working within 30 kilometres of the border. On the Hungarian-Slovenian border, they have closed down the Kétvölgy crossing point; instead, the Bajánsenye border crossing point will be available around the clock. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó has agreed with his Austrian counterpart that from next Wednesday the Fertőrákos and Szentmargitbánya border crossing points will be opened to commuters.

The Lt. Colonel said as the more stringent rules of conduct introduced by local governments during the Easter weekend worked, local governments will again be given the authority to adopt such measures during the 18-19 April weekend.

In answer to a question, Mr Kiss said at present 12,401 persons are in compulsory home quarantine; compliance with the quarantine orders has been checked by the police 226,033 times.

Regarding the protective supplies that have disappeared from hospitals, the Lt. Colonel said the hospital directors and hospital commanders are reviewing the situation, and will take action for the guarding of supplies.

In the context of the restrictions on movement, Mr Kiss said people are only allowed to leave their homes for the essential reasons laid down in the relevant decree.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)