Dialogue emerged between the government and local authorities

The government views local councils as partners in the fight against the novel coronavirus, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said on Wednesday.

Gergely Gulyás told the press that Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony and Károly Szita, the mayor of the city of Kaposvár and head of the association of cities with county rights, had attended Wednesday’s government meeting where responses to the novel coronavirus epidemic were discussed.

“Against all reports to the contrary … the government views local councils as partners … especially in the protection efforts against the novel coronavirus,” he said.

Cooperation with local councils is necessary for the efforts to be effective, he added.

Gulyás noted that the government-imposed curfew would lose effect on Saturday, that is why it was necessary to talk to the mayor of Budapest and the association of cities. He added that both partners had been “constructive” in the meeting.

He said political controversies were not timely and called for a cooperation irrespective of differences in opinion to successfully combat the epidemic.

Karácsony said at the press conference that

the epidemic warrants nationwide cooperation.

He welcomed an emerging dialogue between the government and local authorities and said that Budapest would do everything it can to enforce common decisions. He also called on residents to stay at home.

The city of Budapest and its districts have contributed to efforts of prevention and made preparations to tackle possible economic and social crises when the epidemic is over, Karácsony said. He said the government’s response had been positive to his request for early talks on the latter subject.

Read alsoCoronavirus – Mayors of 14 Budapest districts ask government for cooperation

Karácsony said that current restrictions may be necessary to stay in place for another month, but added that it was up to the government to pass a decision, which the city would implement.

Karácsony said

“Against all reports to the contrary … the government views local councils as partners he had also asked the government to start coronavirus screening of inhabitants and staff in old-age homes “at least in Budapest” with no delay.

Szita also called for maintaining the current restrictions and suggested that the rules could even be made more stringent in view of the upcoming Easter holidays.

Municipalities are facing the “burning task” of replanning their budgets, Szita said, arguing that those budgets had been made in “peace times” to finance investments, salary hikes and public events.

“Now we have to reallocate resources for prevention and reviving the economy,” he said.

He added that re-planning would take at least one month before local governments could start talks with the government on municipal financing from central coffers.

As we wrote before, the blanket lifting of parking fees across the country recently announced by the government does not have the support of district mayors and will not succeed in its stated goal of thinning crowds using public transport, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony said. The measure will, however, raise the number of cars in the city, he said, read details here. 

Source: MTI