Orbán cabinet urges ‘reasonable balance’ in exit from lockdown

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó on Monday underlined the importance of maintaining a “reasonable balance” between safeguarding human life, restarting the economy and “returning to normalcy” in Hungary’s emergence from lockdown.

Measures introduced by the government over the past few days are aimed at preparing the health-care system “for an unprecedented situation”, giving the economy a head start in the new era of the global economy and repatriating Hungarians stranded abroad due to travel restrictions, Szijjártó said in an address to parliament.

The foreign ministry has so far helped bring more than 10,000 Hungarians home, with 541 more stranded abroad, Szijjártó said. The European Union has been notified of all flights that have repatriated Hungarians and other EU citizens, but Hungary has received no response or support from the bloc, he said.

Concerning health accessories delivered from China in the recent period, Szijjártó said more than 130 planes have shipped equipment to Hungary so far. Hungary has so far taken delivery of more than 132 million face masks and is contracted to receive 40.4 million more, the minister said. China has delivered 3,298 ventilators, 1,351 of which arrived last week. Fully 2.37 million coronavirus testing kits have been delivered with 1.17 million more on the way. Hungary has also taken delivery of over 68 million items of protective gear, he said.

China has also sent 850,000 pills that have shown to be a promising treatment option for Covid-19 patients, he said, adding that Japan has also agreed to deliver more than 12,000 pills.