Another Covid-19 numbers: more than six thousand new infected, 143 dead in Hungary

Fully 143 patients, generally elderly with an underlying condition, have died over the past 24 hours, and 6,369 new coronavirus infections have been registered, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Friday.

The number of infections has risen to 452,547, while the death toll has increased to 15,619. The number of recoveries stands at 331,557.

There are 105,371 active infections, while hospitals are caring for 6,867 Covid patients, 677 of whom are on ventilators.

Fully 45,164 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests carried out has increased to 3,781,181.

Altogether 862,953 people have been vaccinated so far, with 279,727 having received a second shot.

Most infections have been registered in Budapest (85,273) and Pest County (58,861), followed by Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén (25,856), Győr-Moson-Sopron (25,677) and Hajdú-Bihar counties (25,117). The county least affected by the infection is Tolna (10,083).

• This is how the tightened restrictions will change our lives

Hungary closes down until March 22 to curb Covid spread

Hungary will close almost all shops and services for two weeks along with kindergartens and primary schools for the next month in an effort to tackle the third wave of coronavirus infections, the prime minister’s chief of staff announced yesterday. MORE INFO HERE.

Shops, with the exception of food stores, pharmacies and petrol stations, will have to be closed and services, with the exception of private health care, suspended between March 8 and 22, Gergely Gulyás told a weekly press briefing.

Kindergartens and primary schools will be closed from March 8 until April 7, he said.

Gyms will also be closed for two weeks, but licenced athletes will be allowed to train and compete behind closed doors, Gulyás said. Parks will be allowed to stay open and outdoor sports will also be allowed for activities in which people can maintain a safe distance of 1.5 metres, he said.

The government asks employers to ensure that their employees can work from home wherever possible, particularly in the case of those with children, Gulyás said. Mask-wearing remains mandatory outdoors, he said. Gulyás also said that Hungary will impose tighter controls on its borders, adding, however that freight and transit traffic will not be restricted.

Wage subsidies and tax cuts introduced for the hospitality industry will be expanded for the period of the lockdown to all sectors forced to shut down by the new measures, Gulyás said.

Source: MTI