Hungary’s vaccination drive progresses twice as fast as in EU – the latest numbers

Vaccination drive

The vaccination drive in Hungary is progressing twice as fast as in other EU member states which proves that the scheme has been organised well, the state secretary heading the central team in charge of the vaccination programme said in daily Magyar Nemzet’s Monday edition.

So far over 3.25 million Hungarians have received at least their first jab and 1.4 million have been fully inoculated, István György told the paper. Fully 2 million of those inoculated received a Western vaccine and the rest a Chinese or a Russian one, he said.

“The Eastern vaccines are effective and safe, Hungarian authorities are running control tests on each consignment,” György said.

He said involving GPs in the vaccination drive and assigning buses to reach people in rural areas as mobile labs proved to be the right decision.

Outdoor catering to restart when 3.5 m vaccinated

Bars and restaurants could again start serving customers outdoors when the number of Hungarians inoculated against Covid-19 reaches 3.5 million, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said.

Orbán also announced that while kindergartens would reopen and the lower grades of primary schools would return to their classrooms on April 19, 5-8 graders would stay at home and go on with their online classes until May 10.

The government has decided “to proceed gradually and carefully,” Orbán said, and asked parents for “patience and understanding”.

Further rules include:

• The curfew will last from 10 pm until 5 am;
• Shops will be able to stay open longer, until 9:30 pm;
• The shops (clothes shops, shops in malls, furniture shops) that have been closed can open, but there is now a square-metre basis. 1 costumer/10 square metres/shop;
• Temporary security measures involving several services will no longer be in effect, meaning that hairdressers and beauty salons and further services can also open – however, under different rules;
• Nevertheless, businesses of the hospitality sector still cannot open; only the employees can be present at the workplace. Customers can only enter the restaurant to pick up their order. Hotels will remain closed.

The current rules are applying to mask-wearing, gatherings, the hospitality sector, recreation centres, schools and the Schengen borders will remain in effect.

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