V4 cooperating in times of trouble, says Orbán after meeting on new virus

Commenting on a V4 meeting on Wednesday to discuss the new coronavirus, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said the leaders of the Visegrad Group were cooperating well “in times of trouble as well as in good times”.

The coronavirus outbreak was high on the agenda of the meeting in Prague of member states’ prime ministers.

Referring to confirmed Covid-19 cases in Poland and the Czech republic, Orbán said it had been “a good decision” to hold the meeting in view of the fact that the virus had reached the Visegrad countries.

Although there are as yet no confirmed cases in Hungary, “we cannot pretend that Hungary can stay out of this,” Orbán said. The country has to be prepared to contend with the virus, he added.

At the meeting, the heads of government reviewed the risks and protective measures regarding Covid-19, and coordinated their governments’ actions, Orbán said.

The outbreak poses a threat to public health and the economy, he said. The meeting primarily tackled the public health issue as “people are more important than money and the economy,” he said.

• Poland confirms first COVID-19 case

Orbán said he had briefed his counterparts on the steps Hungary had taken to fight the outbreak.

Hungary has an accredited laboratory equipped to diagnose an infection within hours and has set up screening controls at its border crossings, he said.

He praised the “disciplined” preparation efforts in the other V4 member states, saying Hungary “will learn a lot from this” and may in future rely on the other countries’ help in fighting the virus.

Source: MTI