Mayor: Government ‘dodges responsibility’ for easing Budapest restrictions

Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony has slammed the government for “dodging responsibility” on easing coronavirus-related restrictions in Budapest while “refusing real partnership”.

In a letter answering questions from PM office head Gergely Gulyás, posted on the mayor’s Facebook page on Thursday, Karácsony insisted the government had refused to share with the municipality detailed data on the rate of the infection in specific areas.

Karácsony said it was “unacceptable” that the “government, while enjoying special powers of an unprecedented scope during the state of emergency, is dodging political responsibility for easing the restrictions”.

The mayor said the results of a representative survey by Hungarian universities had shown that “there were basically no new infections outside of hospitals or other institutions”.

Karácsony reiterated that Budapest has to be opened gradually once the status of the epidemic allows, while saying that “determining the pace and degree of the reopening measures is the responsibility of those holding detailed information on epidemiological data”.

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