Coronavirus – Restrictions to be extended until May 3 in Hungary – UPDATE

The government is extending the timeframe of restrictions on movement introduced to combat the novel coronavirus epidemic until May 3, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday.

In the meantime, the government will prepare a new set of regulations aimed at guaranteeing the protection of the most vulnerable elderly population and major cities, Gergely Gulyás told a regular online press briefing. These new rules will be on the cabinet’s agenda next Wednesday, he added.

Meanwhile, Gulyás said the government believes it is “too early” to start easing certain restrictions as other countries have, such as sending children back to school. However, the health-care sector is now at a level of preparedness that will allow for a gradual reopening of the economy under a strict schedule, he added.

The PM’s Office chief said

May 3 was the earliest projected date for the virus to peak and that the health authorities would have to apply the strictest possible protective measures at that point.

He added, however, that it was impossible to predict the exact day on which the virus would peak, underlining the need for constant preparedness over the coming weeks. Hungary is keeping an eye on international epidemic response practices, mainly those implemented in Germany and Austria, Gulyás added.

In line with another government decision, the country’s elderly care homes are being disinfected by the army, Gulyás noted.

He thanked those who had contributed to getting Hungary’s health-care system ready to cope with the epidemic, adding that the time left until May 3 would be enough to prepare for a massive increase in infections.

• Coronavirus in Hungary – 14 new fatalities, number of registered cases rises to 2,284

He said the decision to order hospitals to vacate 50 percent of their beds and have 8,000 functioning ventilators ready had been a “strictly a professional one”, as the government wants to be prepared for a worst-case scenario.

Gulyás said the innovation and technology minister will unveil later in the day the latest figures calculated using Hungary’s Covid-19 projection model.

Meanwhile, he noted that Hungary’s parliament — unlike those of other countries or even the European Parliament — has been meeting regularly since the start of the outbreak. The cabinet regularly briefs the legislature on the status of its epidemic response measures, and the opposition has had the chance to voice its criticisms, he said.