In the Carmelite Monastery, at the invitation of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the National Cultural Council held a meeting where attendees reviewed the impact of the coronavirus epidemic on Hungarian cultural institutions, Bertalan Havasi, the Prime Minister’s press chief said on Saturday.

The body – which is chaired by President of the Hungarian Academy of Arts György Vashegyi and comprises the heads of seventeen strategic cultural institutions – concluded that Hungary had started returning to normal life. However, the appeal of experts who warn that the danger is not over yet must be taken seriously. In his introduction, Mr Orbán said we have won the first battle against the virus; the first phase of the containment effort was concluded successfully because we managed to prevent the mass spread of the epidemic. At the same time, he drew the attention of institution heads to the fact that we must continue to observe the fundamental rules: we must maintain a safe distance and pay special attention to hygiene in institutions.

The topics of the Saturday meeting of the National Cultural Council included next year’s budget and the working schedule of the Council, the press chief said.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)