Orbán: Stricter travel rules needed

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has appealed to Hungarians to register to receive the coronavirus vaccine, saying that all applicants would receive their first dose by Easter. This would result in the highest vaccination rate in the European Union, he added.

Orbán also said in an interview to public radio on Friday that Hungary’s borders must definitely be tightened and stricter travel rules introduced in light of the big escalation of the coronavirus epidemic. Even business people must understand that viral variants must be radically curbed, even for business trips beyond Europe’s borders, he added.

The prime minister said many people were planning trips to “exotic destinations” which were getting more affordable in the current circumstances, and he noted that some of the more infectious virus mutations are actually from Africa.

Orbán also noted that the operative body responsible for handling the epidemic ordered hospitals to ramp up their level of preparedness at its meeting this morning, and this level would be the same as during the critical phases of the epidemic in April and November last year.

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The number of infections is expected to increase drastically in the weeks ahead, putting an increased burden on the health-care system, Orbán said.

Most vaccinations are carrried out by GPs, so there will be enough people to continue the vaccination drive, he added.

Human Resources Minister Miklós Kásler, he said, had acted wisely by stopping certain hospitals from returning to normal operations because these can join the fight against the epidemic.

Commenting on press reports about Hungary not tapping the entire amount of Moderna vaccine available, he said “we are good at tapping resources”, with 17 million doses of vaccine reserved by the country. However, vaccines ordered by the European Union are arriving at a slower rate than projected and “without the Russian and Chinese vaccines we would not have enough”, he added.

The Chinese vaccine will soon become available to those overseeing the protective efforts, he said.