Important modifications in the new lockdown measures: schools, vaccination, internet use

Photo: PM office

The government publishes modifications day after day concerning the strict lockdown in effect from next Monday. They said on Thursday that no children could be in any schools or kindergartens from March 8 until April 7. Moreover, the government highlighted yesterday that nobody would get their AstraZeneca vaccine during the weekend. Meanwhile, Gergely Gulyás, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, clarified why Hungary did not buy as many Moderna vaccines as they could have purchased.

According to telex.hu, though the government announced on Friday in a text message that nobody would receive their Moderna vaccine during the weekend because of a malfunction of the government’s system, it seems that those who showed up today at the vaccination points did receive their jab. Later today, the operative body issued a statement clarifying that

those who go to the vaccination points will get the vaccine because the jabs are there.

Furthermore, thanks to the local governments, there will be state-supported childcare services in the kindergartens and the schools from March 8. As a result, those parents who cannot miss work will be able to bring their children to these institutions even from Monday. Moreover, all

elementary school kids will be able to use the internet for free from Monday.

The discount is valid for 30 days, which is the announced length of the planned digital education in Hungary, telex.hu reported.

Gergely Gulyás, minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, today denied all opposition accusations concerning Moderna vaccine purchases. The leftist opposition’s claim that the government has not ordered sufficient quantities of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine is part of their

“hate campaign” against the government, Gulyás said on Facebook on Saturday.

Citing passages from the European Commission’s agreement with the producer, Gulyás insisted that shipments of Moderna could not be expected before the third quarter of 2021 when “sufficient amounts of vaccines purchased from other sources will be in place to inoculate the whole adult population”.

Moreover, Gulyás said that “actual deliveries [of Moderna] are even more sluggish than outlined in the agreement”, adding that

several other European Union members had similarly given up their option of Moderna.

In reaction to press reports quoting the EU representation in Budapest that the EU does not have direct information concerning vaccine deliveries to Hungary since the country receives shipments from the producers rather than via the EU, Gulyás said that he had his information from an agreement signed by European Commissioner Stelly Kyriakides.

“The Commission, therefore, is aware that the vaccine delivery in question cannot arrive in Hungary before the third quarter,” he said.