Hungary border control

Breaking news! UK planes allowed into Hungary from midnight

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The Hungarian government has decided to lift the ban on passenger flights arriving from the United Kingdom from midnight on Tuesday, a member of the operative body responsible for handling the epidemic response said.

Róbert Kiss told a regular press conference on Tuesday that Hungarian passengers will be subject to restrictions already in force and will be required to enter mandatory self-quarantine.

The government will soon make further decisions on other restrictions such as the night-time curfew, mask-wearing, and limits on shopping and attendance of events, he said.

As we wrote before, The government has extended the temporary border control introduced on the full length of Hungary’s internal Schengen border until midnight on Jan. 31, read more details HERE.

Vaccines available for all health-care workers

Hungary now has enough vaccines to inoculate all health-care staff against the coronavirus, and 15,000 have already received their first jab, the chief medical officer said on Tuesday.

Hungary currently has enough of the vaccine to inoculate 78,875 people, now being rolled out to city hospitals besides the 25 vaccination points, Cecilia Müller told a press conference of the operative body responsible for handling the epidemic.

General practitioners, pharmacologists and dentists can now receive the vaccine, Müller said, adding that appointments can be made over the phone or via email. In the next step, workers and residents of elderly care homes will be inoculated, she said.

Law enforcement officials directly involved in the protection efforts also have priority in the vaccination plan, she said.

Those who received the first jab will also be given a certificate containing the date of the second injection, she said.

All about the ban on flights between the UK and Hungary!

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Many are concerned about and interested in the duration of the ban on passenger flights from the UK landing in Hungary, which was ordered following several other countries because of a faster-spreading variant of the coronavirus discovered in London and the south of England. 

Government Decree 623/2020 was published in Magyar Közlöny on the 21st of December. It reveals details of the ban on flights departing from the UK announced on Monday, writes airportal.hu.

“Civil aircraft engaged in scheduled air passenger services from the territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland may not land in the territory of Hungary, with the exception of aircraft at risk,”

says a government decree issued on the day following its promulgation, entered into force on the 22nd of December from midnight. Airlines operating on routes between Budapest and the United Kingdom cancelled all their affected flights on Tuesday. Although the ban does not apply to departures from Hungary, flights to the island country do not run from Budapest either, as the planes could only return without passengers.

Ryanair’s planes to Bristol and London-Stansted no longer departed on Tuesday, and Wizz Air also cancelled its flight to and from Luton. EasyJet has not cancelled its flights from Budapest to London-Gatwick; the planes will fly empty to Budapest Airport and then return with passengers. The situation is considered vis major; the passengers on the flights concerned will not be compensated.

However, airlines must reimburse the fare for cancelled flights in the form of cash, credit, or rebooking must be provided.

Regulations shall expire on the 8th of February 2021. The third paragraph, on the other hand, will enter into force on the 1st day after the promulgation of the decree, only on the 5th of January 2021, while the decree itself will enter into force today. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Monday that epidemiological preparedness for the coronavirus (although not an emergency) in 2021 is likely to persist throughout the year.

The NOTAM notice on the ban was published in the official aviation notification system at 11:52 pm local time on 21 December. The description of the travel restrictions in force since September has been supplemented by a ban in a government decree, according to which passenger flights departing from the territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland may not land in Hungary.

The ban on passenger flights from the UK to Hungary may last until the 8th of February 2021, unless lifted earlier by revoking Regulation 623/2020 or extending it in a new government decree. Several European countries took similar measures.

Rules on entry of UK citizens into Hungary to change from Jan 1

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Hungary’s National Police Headquarters (ORFK) has released a guide on the post-Brexit rules on the entry of UK citizens into Hungary that will enter into force on Jan. 1.

Based on a 2020 law governing the residency rights of UK citizens and their family members, those who have already been living in Hungary for an extended period of time prior to Dec. 31, 2020 will retain the rights they were entitled to as European Union citizens after Jan. 1, 2021, according to the guide posted on the ORFK’s website. They may also apply for preferential status from national immigration authority OIF.

UK citizens whose family members are not entitled to the right to the freedom of movement will be subject to the general rules applicable to third-country nationals.

The ORFK noted that

UK citizens are exempted from a visa requirement when travelling to Hungary.

The UK voted to leave the EU in 2016. It officially left the bloc in January 2020, entering into a post-Brexit transition period which expires on Dec. 31.

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Read also“The situation is chaotic!” – Hungarians living in the UK are upset about the latest British restrictions

Breaking news! No flights from UK, Hungary suspends curfew for one night on Dec 24

The government has decided to suspend the night curfew introduced as a result of coronavirus for one night on December 24, Róbert Kiss, the deputy head of the operative board coordinating response to the epidemic, said on Monday.

The curfew regulation was introduced in early November to contain the spread of the coronavirus. It was later extended until January 11.

Kiss told an online press conference that children aged under 14 will not count in a ten-person limit in force affecting private and family events.

The government has also decided to ban as of midnight December 22 all passenger flights, including private planes for business travel, arriving from Britain.

Freight transport can continue, he added.

Chief medical officer: Hungary prepared for vaccination

Hungary is prepared for giving vaccinations against coronavirus and all the conditions are set for handling and storing vaccine supplies, the chief medical officer said on Monday.

Cecilia Müller told a press conference of the operative board coordinating response to the epidemic that the European Medicines Agency is expected to give licence to the vaccine for European Union countries at a meeting today. Once this happens, the inoculation of health workers will start within a few days, she said.

The first shipment Hungary is to receive will include a “symbolic amount” which will be enough for vaccinating 5,000 people only but further shipments are expected before the end of the year and supplies are expected to be continual later on, she said.

Once all demands for vaccination by health workers have been met, inoculation will continue under the national vaccination plan.

The first vaccinations will be administered at the South Pest Central hospital in Budapest and will continue in 25 other locations.

She said current research showed that the vaccines available will also be effective against new variants of the virus.

Coronavirus in Hungary: LATEST NEWS IN HUNGARY

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Read alsoCoronavirus – Orbán: State of medical preparedness likely to remain throughout 2021

Huge lines at the Hungarian borders like there is no pandemic

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Due to guest workers returning home for the holidays and the modification of pandemic measures, huge lines of waiting cars were formed on Sunday morning at several border control points entering Serbia.

Those who wanted to leave Hungary at the border checkpoint of Röszke by car needed to wait 5 hours, and those travelling by bus had to wait 4. Meanwhile, buses entering the country also had to expect an entire hour of hold-up. Heavy traffic exiting Hungary was held up by 5 hours as well.

The situation was the same at the checkpoints of Ásotthalom and Tompa, too. At the former, cars were waiting for an hour while at the latter, they spent around 3 waiting. Moreover, at Tompa, heavy traffic was delayed by an hour in both directions, wrote autoszektor.hu

The whole situation was caused by the Serbian government strengthening pandemic rules that will enter into effect on Monday.

Starting from next week, foreign citizens who wish to enter Serbia need to present a negative coronavirus test, taken within 48 hours, at the checkpoints,

while Serbian citizens can return home without taking a test, but in this case, 10 days of quarantine is awaiting them.

There were huge jams on the borders of Western Balkan countries as well, due to guest workers heading home. It is not a big surprise, as the temporary control of the Schengen border was extended less than a month ago. 

Despite the strict measures and warnings with which they tried to avoid Western Balkan guest workers returning home for the holidays from their workplaces in Western Europe, many of them decided to travel anyway, causing huge jams on the borders at the weekend, reported the Serbian public service channel RTS on Sunday.

The record is held by the checkpoint of Slovenia-Croatia with 7-8 hours of standing in line,

but people wanting to cross had to be patient for several hours on the Croatian-Serbian and the Croatian-Bosnian borders as well.

As always, most of the Turkish, North Macedonian, Serbian, and Bosnian citizens chose their car as a means of transport to return home to relax and enjoy Christmas and the New Year. They usually spend 2-3 weeks or even a month at a time in their countries with their families.

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Read alsoEU to revamp Schengen system to strengthen border security

EU launches forum to discuss strengthening Schengen area

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The European Union (EU) Monday launched a forum devoted to exchanging ideas on how to build a stronger and more resilient Schengen area, which saw itself breaking down during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The first months of the pandemic showed us what happens when Schengen stops functioning: Europe grinds to a halt,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the on-line forum, which gathered members of the European Parliament and the EU’s home affairs ministers.

“It may sound like a paradox, but this experience made me very confident in the future of Schengen. It is too precious for us all,” she added.

The participants discussed possible ways to improve the current Schengen rules, and to ensure that any possible reintroduction of controls at internal borders will be proportionate, used as a measure of last resort and for a limited period of time.

Introducing modern digital tools in managing exterior borders and enhancing police cooperation to secure the internal borders were also among the topics discussed.

The Schengen area comprises 26 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders, enabling the free and unrestricted movement of 420 million people.

The Schengen Agreement was signed on June 14, 1985 by five of the ten EC member states in the town of Schengen, Luxembourg.

Challenges in recent years have strained Schengen.

Between 2006 and 2014, internal border checks were reintroduced 35 times, but since 2015, in less than five years, internal border checks were reintroduced 205 times, mentioned von der Leyen.

“This is a significant increase,” she stressed, adding that it is necessary to understand the reasons behind it and address them urgently. “Fact is that the challenges Schengen faces today are not the same as 25 years ago. We should confront these challenges head on.”

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Read alsoEU to revamp Schengen system to strengthen border security

Temporary control of Schengen border extended in Hungary! – UPDATE

border koronavirus.gov.hu hungary

The government has extended the temporary border control introduced on the full length of Hungary’s internal Schengen border until midnight on Jan. 31, the deputy head of the operative body coordinating Hungary’s response to the coronavirus epidemic said on Thursday.

Citing the decree published in the official gazette Magyar Közlöny on Wednesday, Róbert Kiss noted there are a total of 130 border crossings along the Schengen border in Hungary, including on public roads, rail routes and waterways.

Meanwhile, he said that in line with a government decision in force from Thursday, persons with mental disability are exempted from wearing a face mask.

Since the publication of the government decree on mask-wearing since Sept. 21, police action has been taken against 8,759 people for violating mask-wearing rules, he added.

Plenty of free capacity available in health care 

Hungary’s health-care system is able to meet increased case loads as there are plenty of unused beds, and every patient in need will get quality care, the head of the prime minister’s office said of the protection efforts against the coronavirus epidemic on Thursday.

Gergely Gulyás told a regular government press briefing that the current restrictions will remain unchanged until next week.

The number of new infections either dropped or hovered between 3,000 and 5,000 every day last week, with the exception of Thursday, when mass testing started in certain sectors, he said. The government will assess the results of the latter next week, and the current measures will be maintained until then, he added.

The government plans to publish the results concerning the testing of social workers, health-care staff and teachers this weekend, he said.

Gulyás said

access to a vaccine against the coronavirus was on the horizon and a vaccine was in its final phase of testing.

The government aims to acquire the vaccine from whatever source becomes available, he said. Only those products that are tested, approved and registered by the Hungarian authorities can be used in Hungary, he added. This applies to vaccines from the European Union as well as those developed in the US, Israel, China and Russia, he said.

Vaccination against the coronavirus will be available on a voluntary basis and free of charge,

Gulyás said.

He confirmed that Hungary’s government has made arrangements to buy more than 12 million doses of coronavirus vaccine developed in the US and Europe and talks are under way with Russian, Israeli and Chinese developers.

The licensing procedure is at the most advanced stage in China, while Pfizer has stated that testing was in an advanced stage but supplies will initially go the the US rather than Europe, he said.

In such cases, half of the advance payment is redeemable, he added.

Gulyás said “this also shows that one cannot expect solidarity” and just like in the case of ventilator acquisitions during the spring, everybody is buying products from wherever they are available. The countries where they are developed have an insurmoutable advantage in getting the products first, he added.

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Read alsoCoronavirus in Hungary – 115 fatalities, cases up 6,360

UPDATE

Meanwhile, responding to further questions regarding the coronavirus situation, asked if further restrictions could be expected between now and Christmas, Gulyás said the government had no plans to introduce tougher restrictions at this stage, adding, at the same time, that it was prepared to relax or step up its response measures when necessary.

Asked whether there would be an opportunity for larger family gatherings during the Christmas holiday, Gulyas said

the government would issue clear regulations for the holiday period, and asked the public to be patient.

On the topic of school closures, he said four-fifths of schools were operating smoothly.

Only 3-4 percent of schools have had to be closed and less than 20 percent of them have had to send classes on emergency breaks,

Gulyás said. These figures, he said, vindicated the government’s decision to keep schools open.

The PM’s chief of staff said the government was drafting changes to rules on sick pay, arguing that it was necessary to give parents the chance to stay home with their children if they are in quarantine. It is also fair to assume that teachers who contract the virus do so while at work, he said, adding that it was reasonable to speed up transfers of their sick pay. All teachers are automatically entitled to 60 percent of their pay when they go on sick leave, while the remainder is paid when it the illness is officially confirmed, he noted, adding that this process should be streamlined so that teachers receive all of their pay under a single procedure.

As regards the daily timeframe for shoppers older than 65, Gulyás said the elderly and those suffering from chronic illnesses were most at risk of the virus. Because the dedicated shopping hours can cause difficulties for those below the age of 65, the government decided to move up the weekend timeframe, he added.

Asked about a potential overhaul of the health-care sector, Gulyás said

the pandemic had demonstrated that Hungary was in need of more organised care.

This is why the government has decided to set up the National Hospital Directorate-General, he said. “This doesn’t mean that we’ll be closing hospitals,” Gulyás said. He said he believed the new institution would manage national health care more effectively and in a more organised way. 

Commenting on reports regarding the suspension or even the possible elimination of the business tax, Gulyás said the government wanted to ease companies’ burdens and cut their taxes with comprehensive measures but had yet to decide on concrete steps.

Illegal migrants in lorry stopped at SE Hungary crossing

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Hungarian and Romanian police found 28 illegal migrants claiming to be from Iraq and Syria hiding in a Turkish-registered lorry at the motorway crossing of Csanádpalota, in south-eastern Hungary, during a joint inspection early on Wednesday, the Csongrád-Csanád County police headquarters press chief said.

The Romanian authorities have started proceedings against the Turkish driver for alleged people smuggling and against the migrants for crossing the border illegally, Sándor Deák said.

So far this year, more than 35,300 migrants have made an illegal attempt to cross into Hungary, more than double the number in 2019, the prime minister’s chief domestic security advisor, György Bakondi, told public broadcaster M1 channel on Wednesday.

Also 387 people traffickers have been arrested this year, which is more than the total over the past three years, for attempting to smuggle migrants westwards.

Illegal border crossing attempts are putting “serious pressure” on law enforcement, he said.

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Read alsoMalta relocates asylum seekers to Finland, Romania

EU to revamp Schengen system to strengthen border security

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The European Union (EU) will start to revamp the Schengen system, with a new strategy to be tabled in months, as part of a wider effort to fight terrorism, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said on Friday.

Speaking at a press conference after meeting with EU home affairs ministers, Johansson said a first Schengen Forum will take place at the end of this month for the exchange of views that will lead to the publication of a new Schengen strategy in May next year.

The Schengen Area comprises 26 European countries that allow passport-free travel between them. It is made up of 22 of the 27 EU states plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

She said the issue of a well-functioning Schengen area was at the top of the agenda at the home affairs ministers’ virtual meeting on Friday, with many ministers mentioning the importance of the protection of the EU’s external borders.

The meeting was held against the backdrop of the recent terrorist attacks in France and Austria and on the fifth anniversary of the attacks in Paris. On Nov. 13, 2015, a series of terrorist attacks took place in Paris and the city’s northern suburb, during which some 130 people were killed in several mass shootings and suicide bombings.

“These are attacks on our common European values and our fundamental rights. We stand against these attacks as we did five years ago, as a single society,” she said.

Johansson said the existing proposals and security initiatives developed over the years have to pass through the European Parliament and the Council of the EU with urgency, especially the proposals for a regulation on preventing the dissemination of terrorist content online.

Besides, border guards and police must be able to cross-check identity documents against all relevant information systems. Achieving interoperability of the systems by 2023 will be a priority at all levels, she said.

The commissioner mentioned that in a study that Frontex carried out last year, 22 percent of those entering the Schengen area were not checked towards the Schengen information system. “So here is clearly room for improvement.”

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Read alsoFive years after Paris attacks, terror risks remain high in France, officials say

Even Fidesz MPs want PM Viktor Orbán to introduce stricter anti-COVID-19 measures

Coronavirus - First Covid-19 patient treated with Hungarian-made remdesivir leaves hospital

Not only the medical chamber and Hungarian virologists would like the Hungarian PM to introduce stricter anti-COVID-19 measures but also members of his supporting parties, Fidesz and the Christian Democrats (KDNP). They say that wearing face masks is not enough, and protecting the economy cannot be more important than protecting people’s lives.

According to hvg, they could speak with MPs of Fidesz and KDNP who stated that if the PM does not make the relevant regulations stricter, they will ask him to do so. An MP of the government parties said one month before that they could not halt the country because in that case the economy would be smashed. Furthermore, he added that people would like to get back their normal lives.

Hvg says that Hungary is the only European country where the only serious anti-COVID-19 measure is the compulsory wearing of face masks. In contrast, because of the rising number of infections, other countries already introduced, for example, partial home quarantine while,

in Hungary, fans can still take part in football matches. 

As we reported before, the Hungarian Medical Chamber already demanded stricter measures. Because of the steeply growing number, 4/5th of the Fidesz and KDNP MPs hvg asked before would implement further measures to stop the spread of the virus. 

“I understand that we have to have an eye on the economy, but this cannot continue. I hear everywhere the question:

“how many people have to die until we act?”

– said an MP of a Transdanubian city. He added that he could not understand why fans can take part in football matches since they do not keep the rules of mask-wearing. Moreover, he stated that he cannot understand why the government allows family, free time, and gastronomy events where there are hundreds and thousands of people. He also highlighted that

he would revise the opening times of bars as well.

Another MP said that it seems as if the government forgot about the most endangered group, the elderly. He added that he would reintroduce the shopping hours of the elderly to help them evade any contact with those who might carry the virus but do not show any symptoms. It is clear now that wearing a mask is not enough, he said.

Interestingly, most MPs said that they would not close schools. However, some added that, provided the spread of the virus stops during the autumn break, they would reintroduce that measure, too.

Coronavirus in Hungary – 38 people die, infections up by 1,820

Thirty-eight Covid-19 patients, mostly elderly and suffering from an underlying illness, died in the past 24 hours, and registered coronavirus infections rose by 1,820 to 56,098, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Saturday.

The death toll rose to 1,390, while 16,007 people have made a recovery. There are 38,701 active infections, while 2,245 patients are hospitalised, 205 on ventilators. Fully 27,859 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests carried out stands at 961,441.

Border controls and entry restrictions remain in place and citizens have been asked to avoid participating in large events.

Wearing a face mask is obligatory in shops, on public transport and in cinemas, theatres, shopping malls, as well as in health and social-care facilities and at open-air events, including sports events. Restaurants and entertainment venues must close at 11pm.

An autumn break has begun in schools during which period the institutions will undergo disinfection, the portal said.

Visits to hospitals and nursing homes are banned and temperature measurements are being carried out at school gates.

Budapest (16,742) and Pest County (6,998) have the most infections, followed by the counties of Gyor-Moson-Sopron (3,511), Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen (3,275), Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg (2,851) and Hajdu-Bihar (2,767). Tolna County has the fewest infections (580).

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Read alsoOrbán: Hungary aims to have swift access to Covid-19 vaccine

Breaking news – Hungarians are allowed to travel to Austria with no restrictions

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Hungarians can now cross into Austria without any coronavirus-related restrictions as Austria has “changed Hungary’s safety risk assessment to positive”, a spokesman for the central body coordinating efforts against the epidemic told a press conference on Monday.

Róbert Kiss noted that Austria treated European citizens and nationals of third countries equally, with regard to the epidemic, based on its own risk assessment. People from countries considered high-risk by the Austrian authorities are only allowed to enter if they present a negative PCR test, he said.

Austria’s restrictions do not affect earlier rules of international transit,

Kiss added.

Based on the latest relevant government decree, Hungarian citizens entering Hungary from foreign countries that have a high risk of infection, or any foreign citizens entering Hungary, still have to be quarantined, but if no infection is suspected,

the quarantine period is reduced from 14 days to 10 days.

The rules for exemption from the quarantine remain unchanged, meaning one would need two negative COVID-19 tests two days apart.

Only those have to pay for the tests who want to be tested voluntarily or those who entered from foreign countries and want to end their quarantine earlier than 10 days. The Hungarian government also maximised the cost of the PCR tests at 19,500 forints (~€55). On September 4, the Health Ministers of the Member States of the European Union agreed at a meeting that the 14-day quarantine requirement for those who return from regions that have an increased risk of infection should be reduced to a 10-day quarantine.

Hungarian borders must open soon! EU member states adopt common color code

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The European Union (EU) member states on Tuesday adopted a common color code to define the level of risk related to the coronavirus outbreak, region by region, a move to avoid fragmentation and disruption.

“Travel restrictions have made it difficult for some of our citizens to get to work, to university or to visit their loved ones. It is our common duty to ensure coordination on any measures which affect free movement and to give our citizens all the information they need when deciding on their travel,” said Michael Roth, Minister of State for Europe at the German Federal Foreign Office. Germany currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU.

The colors green, orange and red will be used to determine the status of each European region on a single map updated weekly with data provided by member states.

The color grey will be used for regions without sufficient data. The map will be maintained by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Travelers from green regions will be free to go wherever they wish, whereas travelers from red, orange and grey regions might need to undergo quarantine and testing. The Recommendation applies to all 27 EU countries, as well as Britain during the transition period. The map will also include Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

The national governments are still making their own decisions on which measures they will impose on travelers from orange, red and grey zones.

These measures should be published at least 24 hours before they are implemented.

Factors taken into account by the ECDC to allocate a color to a region are the 14-day cumulative coronavirus case notification rate, the test positive rate and the testing rate.

People with an essential reason to travel will be exempted from quarantine and testing. These include healthcare workers, transport workers, patient traveling for imperative medical reasons, people traveling for imperative family or business reasons, passengers in transit, seafarers, as well as diplomats, military personnel, humanitarian aid workers and journalists performing their duties.

The proposal was initially put forward by the European Commission on Sept. 4. The adoption was welcomed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“The clearer the rules are, the better citizens can deal with them,” she said in a statement on Tuesday.

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Read alsoDriver, too, is required to call on passengers travelling without face masks to observe the law

Driver, too, is required to call on passengers travelling without face masks to observe the law

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The driver or the operator’s employee is required to call on passengers travelling on board public transport vehicles without face masks or those wearing their face masks incorrectly to observe the law, the deputy head of the duty centre of the Operational Group responsible for the fight against the coronavirus epidemic said at an online press conference held on Tuesday.

Lt. Colonel Róbert Kiss added that the same applies to the operators of commercial outlets, and if they fail to do so, they violate the protective measures in effect. On Monday the police detected three such instances, and therefore the attending police officers drew the attention of the operators’ representatives of the fact of the breaches and notified the competent trade authority.

According to Mr Kiss’s information, on Monday, due to the violation of the protective measures in effect, the police took action in 12 instances because passengers were not wearing or were incorrectly wearing face masks on board public transport vehicles, and in another 13 instances because the rules of protective measures were violated on the premises of commercial outlets, public institutions and other places defined in the legal rule.

In the case of those travelling on public transport, all violators were cautioned.

During the police action taken in shops, police officers cautioned nine persons, imposed one onsite fine and prosecuted three persons, the Lt. Colonel added.

Mr Kiss also reported that the police have so far taken action against those violating the disease control protective measures in force since 21 September in 1,168 instances, resulting in the vast majority of cases, in 996 instances, in cautions.

In the past 24 hours, the police have taken action against persons transiting through the territory of Hungary due to the violation of the transit rules in 38 instances, including three cautions, 34 onsite fines and one prosecution, the Lt. Colonel detailed.

He said during patrolling, police officers also monitor compliance with the rules relating to music and dance events and the restricted opening hours of catering establishments. On Monday, the operator of one catering establishment had to be cautioned on this account.

Mr Kiss further highlighted that in the past 24 hours the police have carried out 10,506 checks in the case of persons in compulsory home quarantine.

On Monday, 2,459 compulsory home quarantine orders were issued in the country, including 714 returning from abroad; as a result, the total number of quarantine orders currently stands at 21,990. 1,100 of those registered in home quarantine are being monitored electronically via the application downloaded onto their mobile phones.

The deputy head of the duty centre of the Operational Group finally also mentioned that during the late morning hours those crossing the borders had to expect minor delays. In cargo traffic at Röszke there was a two-hour delay at the motorway border crossing station, there was a three-hour wait at the Tompa road border crossing station, while in passenger traffic travellers had to expect a two-hour delay at Beregsurány.

Read alsoCoronavirus – Romania declares mandatory quarantine for Hungarian travellers

Coronavirus – Romania declares mandatory quarantine for Hungarian travellers

Romania has declared 14 days of mandatory quarantine for Hungarian travellers and to other citizens of 48 nations where the coronavirus infections are close to the Romanian data.

Turizmus Online reported that the operative board of Romania has decided to rewrite the so-called yellow-country-regulations. In Romania 110 out of 100,000 citizens might get infected, while in Hungary this number is higher, around 130. For those people who do not experience symptoms, the ten-day mandatory quarantine can be left after providing one negative coronavirus test. 

Citizens arriving from dangerous countries do not have to go to quarantine if they intend to spend less then three days in Romania. All these citizens need to have a negative coronavirus test made 48 hours before arriving.

Citizens from foreign countries are forbidden to take part in Romanian religious events. During this season, more than 10,000 people from other countries tend to travel to Romania for the St. Paraschiva religious celebrations. Sadly, this year it is not possible due to the epidemic. The Romanian operative board has obliged counties and major cities of Romania to work out every necessary restriction and further steps for an expected outbreak and increase of infections. Local curfews and ordering home office will be available options for every city and region.

With approximately 19 million inhabitants, Romania registers nearly 1,600 new infections a day, and more than 40 people die because of the infection.

Featured image: MTI/Balogh Zoltán

Coronavirus in Hungary: Travel restrictions amended for V4 countries – UPDATE

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The government has decided to amend restrictions for travellers from countries in the Visegrad Group, the deputy head of the operative board in charge of coronavirus-related measures said on Monday.

Earlier regulations for travellers from V4 countries expired on September 30, Róbert Kiss told an online press conference.

Hungarian citizens and family members returning to Hungary from the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, if they had booked accommodation in any of the V4 countries prior to the introduction of the current restrictions, are exempted from quarantine if they present one negative PCR test result, he said.

Until November 1, Czech, Polish and Slovak citizens who have booked acccommodation in Hungary for October prior to the introduction of the restrictions also get exemption from quarantine if they present one negative PCR rest result, he added.

The government decree enters into force on Tuesday, he said.

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Read alsoCoronavirus in Hungary: 22,482 active infections, 20,199 in official home quarantine

UPDATE

Cecília Müller, the chief medical officer, told the same press conference that the transfer of health-care staff among hospitals to deal with the increase in Covid-19 patients was going according to plan.

The operative board has ordered four schools and 64 classes to revert to digital education and 21 kindergartens and 5 schools have gone on emergency breaks, she said, noting that the number of students who had to stay home because of the virus was down compared with last week.

Asked about the government’s decision to reallocate 14 billion forints (EUR 39m) towards coronavirus testing Müller said there had never been any financial barriers to carrying out the tests.

Concerning the staging of the UEFA Super Cup final in Budapest, the chief medical officer said there were no new virus clusters that could be traced back to the event.

Will Hungary convince the EU that stricter migration rules are needed?

European Union government migration

The European Union must make it clear that the only way to enter its territory is in a lawful way, or else the migration pressure on Hungary’s and Greece’s borders will not ease, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Friday.

Speaking after talks with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias, Szijjártó said that uncontrolled waves of migration posed an even greater danger than before in view of the coronavirus pandemic. On top of earlier security and cultural challenges illegal migration is

now posing a serious health risk, too,

he said.

Szijjártó voiced regret that the EU’s new migration package “makes the same mistakes as the ones that caused a lot of trouble to Europe in recent years”. The pact is still aimed at managing rather than stemming the waves of migration, he insisted. The goal, he said, should be to stop migration outside the community. According to the pact, mandatory migrant quotas would be maintained “if under a different name”, which the Hungarian government finds unacceptable, Szijjártó said.

Assisting persecuted Christians, especially in the Middle East, is a crucial, shared goal for Hungary and Greece, Szijjártó said. Parties at the talks agreed to jointly support projects to help Christian communities in Jordan, he added. Szijjártó and Dendias agreed that people smuggling gangs must be eliminated.

Supporting people smuggling and illegal migration is a crime “even if committed by an NGO”, Szijjarto said.

On another subject, Szijjártó said that Hungary supported Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and said he hoped that country’s conflict with Armenia could be settled through negotiations. Dendias said that no open issues hindered bilateral relations with Hungary, and the two countries could cooperate in the EU in several areas.

Dendias also urged a joint European solution to the migration problem.

Concerning tension with Turkey, Dendias said that conflict was rooted in “Greece’s observing international law while Turkey is violating it”. If Turkey wishes to join the EU it must observe international law and accept the rules of the EU, too, he added.

Suspended prison for illegal migrants, international human trafficking organization caught

migration - Hungary border fence army

A local court in Szeged on Friday handed in a binding ruling one-year prison sentences, suspended for two years, to three Syrian nationals, respectively, for entering Hungary illegally in a recent attempt.

The three men, aged 30, 41 and 42, have been expelled from Hungary’s territory for a period of two years, according to the ruling.

The men were among members of a large group of migrants who attempted to illegally enter Hungary using violent means at the Roszke border crossing with Serbia on Tuesday night.

The migrants numbering 40 assembled on the Serbian side

and split into separate groups in order to climb the border fence using ladders. They pelted stones at the police officers, damaging surveillance cameras and two cars, local police said on police.hu on Wednesday. Police thwarted their multiple attempts to cross the border and arrested three migrants near the border.

The three Syrians admitted to the crime during the court hearing.

According to index.hu, Hungarian police officers helped their Serbian colleagues to catcsh a local crime gang

buying passports from Serbian individuals and selling them to Kosovan illegal migrants who wanted to get to Western-Europe.

Members of the gang got 3-4.5 thousand EUR in each affair while the Kosovan individuals could go to Austria or Germany in return. Thanks to the Hungarian-Serbian cooperation, 11 members of the gang are behind bars already.