BREAKING! Hungary to lift mask mandate when 5.5 m inoculated
Hungary will lift mask-wearing requirements once 5.5 million people have been inoculated against Covid-19, the prime minister’s chief of staff said on Thursday.
As a general rule, masks will no longer be required indoors and people will be allowed to go to hotels, restaurants, baths and water parks without an immunity certificate once vaccinations reach 5.5 million, Gergely Gulyás told a regular press briefing.
He added, at the same time, that masks will remain mandatory in the health-care sector.
EU green certificate to enter force in Hungary on July 1
The European Union’s Digital Green Certificate for Covid immunity will also enter force in Hungary on July 1.
Gergely Gulyás told a regular press briefing that paper certificates will also be available at government offices or can be printed out from the government’s Client Gate electronic administration portal.
Normal procedures have been reinstated at Hungary’s public road border crossings and there will be no border controls at Hungary’s internal Schengen borders with Slovenia, Slovakia and Austria, Gulyás said. The pre-pandemic rules will apply at the borders with Romania, Croatia and Serbia, with no need for health controls, and the current rules will remain in force at the border with Ukraine, he added.
The use of immunity certificates will be maintained for mass events, such as sports events, concerts, festivals and night clubs, he said.
Government plans to organise August 20 celebrations
Hungary’s government is moving ahead with plans to organise the public celebrations and evening fireworks show for the August 20 national holiday.
In response to a question, Gergely Gulyás expressed hope that Hungary would have a reason and an opportunity to celebrate the holiday, saying that the vaccines in use were effective against all known variants of the coronavirus.
“And the target of 5.5 million inoculations can be met within a few days,” Gulyás added.
As things stand, it looks like it will be safe to hold the August 20 celebrations and the fireworks display, he said.
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Source: MTI