Coronavirus in Hungary – Chief medical officer: Chamber’s proposals under consideration

Proposals by the Hungarian Medical Chamber to increase restrictions in the fight against the novel coronavirus are being considered by the operative board responsible for handling the epidemic, the chief medical officer told a press conference on Wednesday.

Cecília Müller said in response to a question that some of the chamber’s proposals announced on Tuesday had already been implemented. Ways to enforce existing regulations more effectively are also being examined, she said, adding that the operative board was open to cooperation with the medical chamber.

Müller said

Hungary’s health-care system was prepared for handling the current wave of the epidemic, with everyone getting the care they need “at the highest level”.

She said screening capacities were being increased, with 15,596 PCR tests carried out in the past 24 hours and the national blood transfusion service having joined the group of screening laboratories.

The medical chamber proposed stricter and more consistent rules for mass events, including tighter control of mask-wearing and social distancing regulations.

It also proposed further restrictions on the opening hours and number of guests in restaurants and entertainment venues, and the reintroduction of shopping times reserved for elderly people who are most threatened by the epidemic.

• Hungarian Medical Chamber recommends stricter restrictions to fight epidemic

The chamber said that current screening and contact tracing capacities were insufficient for monitoring the spread of the epidemic and the government should draw the public’s attention to the importance of individual prevention and reducing the number of social contacts.

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Operative board: Fines for quarantine rule breaches raised

Fines Hungarian authorities can levy for breaching quarantine rules have been substantially increased, under a law amendment that took effect on Wednesday, Robert Kiss, a spokesman of the central operative board coordinating coronavirus-related measures, said.

Lawmakers on Monday approved the new regulations which raise the maximum fine that can be levied for breaches of home quarantine orders from 50,000 forints to 150,000 forints (EUR 410).

Under the amendment,

police are entitled to levy on spot also a fine of up to 150,000 forints for repeatedly breaching the rule of a mandatory use of a face mask,

Kiss told an online press conference.

Source: MTI