Budapest Mayor urges mandatory mask-wearing
It seems that there is some conflict concerning mask-wearing in Budapest. The number of infected started to rise again. Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony would like to make mask-wearing mandatory in closed spaces, including public transportation.
The Evidence
According to Telex, it is evident that the fourth wave is showing an upward trend, with infections rising significantly compared to previous numbers. The National Centre for Public Health says that the coronavirus concentration of wastewater is rapidly growing all around Hungary.
According to the government’s latest coronavirus data, over 8,389 people got infected since Friday and hospitals are currently treating over 1,685 Covid patients. Almost 200 of them need respiratory assistance.
János Szlávik infectologist said it is difficult to project the development of the epidemic because the Delta variant is significantly more infectious.
At the same time, he said the fourth wave was likely to peak in November or December.
The Proposal
According to Index, now the Mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony himself, made an announcement on Tuesday. He said that the situation in Budapest is not worse than the country average but called the attention to the fact that last year, significant epidemiological measures were implemented at the same level of infection as of recently. “Yet we see no measures in place today,” he added.
This is what the Hungarian COVID medicine will be capable of
The leadership of Budapest, including vice mayor Ambrus Kiss, wanted to make mask-wearing mandatory on public transportations for some time now. Due to a change of law however, they have no authority to do so. So, they have turned to Sándor Pintér, Minister of Internal Affairs to consider a stricter mask-wearing protocol, but they have yet to receive an answer.
The Mayor of Budapest asked citizens to wear masks when using the public transportation.
In the following period, the Centre for Budapest Transport will voice the importance of mask-wearing on all platforms and kindly asks public transportation users to wear a mask while travelling.
“We ask the government to make mask-wearing mandatory again. This is all we can do now,” Gergely Karácsony, mayor of Budapest told the press, says Portfolio.
Since they cannot make that mandatory on a municipality level, it must come from higher up, they will change mask-wearing rules in establishments under the scope which they hold.
The Measures
From November 2, there will be stricter measures in elderly homes, said vice mayor Erzsébet Gy. Németh.
A curfew will be in place, meaning that the elderly can only visit their family. If they decide to visit, they would have to be isolated once they go back to the home. Only family members with immunity certificates can take the elderly home, however.
Contactless visits will still be in place and visitors will have to wear masks from next month. However, the vice mayor added that the
family of elderly people in the final stages of terminal illness will be given the opportunity to visit their relative.
Source: Index.hu, telex.hu, portfolio.hu