All the details about the Easter reopening plan of Hungary – what will change?

Nowadays, there is more and more news regarding the coronavirus epidemic and the possibilities of reopening. As the number of people infected and the number of deaths increase, the Hungarian government must react. There are press conferences and announcements every day, and it is hard to keep up with the changes. We will now summarise the most important news from the latest announcement.

Government spokesman Gergely Gulyás held an extraordinary press conference on Friday afternoon. At this conference, he spoke about the recent decisions of the Hungarian government related to the restrictive measures currently in force. Gulyás highlighted that because of the third wave of the epidemic, Hungary cannot open.

All the measures currently in force until 29 March will be extended.

The exact deadline has not been revealed at the moment, but we can definitely expect another 2-3 weeks of the current restrictions. The Hungarian government will make its decisions taking into account the proposals of the operative board created when the coronavirus pandemic broke out. For those who want to see clearly amid the overflow of information, we have gathered the most important information about the possible new measures with the help of Portfolio. However, it is important to note that these can only enter into force when enough people have received at least the first dose of the vaccine. What can we expect the first stage of a future reopening to include?

1. The opening will require about 2.5 million people to be vaccinated, which the Hungarian government plans to realise after Easter.
2. The curfew will not start at 8 p.m. but at 10 p.m. and will last until 5 a.m.
3. Stores will be open all day, outside of curfews, from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Currently, they do not close at the 8 o’clock start of the curfew but at 7 o’clock.
4. It is planned that all stores will be open, not only grocery stores and pharmacies. However, it should be noted that a shop will be able to accommodate 1 customer per 10 square metres.
5. In the field of services, the rules before 8 March will enter into force. So, restaurants will still be able to serve only for takeaway. However, hairdressers, for example, will open again.
6. The vaccination of teachers will begin on the 1st of April. This is also necessary because, according to the opening plan, schools may be among the first to reopen.
7. Schools are expected to open on April 19th. The opening applies to kindergartens, primary schools, and secondary schools. Digital education remains in place for universities.

The third wave of the virus is even stronger than before. Thus, the above statements may still change in the future depending on epidemiological data.

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Source: portfolio