Hungary adopts new measures to curb spread of coronavirus as first death reported

Hungary adopts new measures to curb spread of coronavirus as first death reported
The National Museum in Budapest decorated to mark the March 15 national holiday deserted as all public events banned under state of emergency law.
By Tamas Szilagyi in Budapest March 16, 2020

Hungary introduced further measures to curb the spread the coronavirus as the country registered its first death related to Covid-19 on March 15 and the number of people infected doubled over the weekend. The Hungarian interior minister is also being tested after meeting with the Moroccan transport minister, who has since tested positive.

The government declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, banning indoor and outdoor events with more than 100 and 500 people respectively. Hungary shut its borders to visitors from Italy, China, South Korea, Iran and reinstated border control on its Schengen borders with Slovenia and Austria. Hungarian citizens arriving from those locations will have to stay in isolation at home for two weeks after arrival.

The state of emergency could remain in force for a period of two weeks, after which time parliament's approval would be necessary for an extension. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned against the "illusion" of getting over the situation caused by the coronavirus in "one or two weeks" and suggested emergency measures could be in place for months.

The extraordinary measures meant that all commemorations and public events scheduled for Sunday were scrapped for the first time ever. March 15, a national holiday celebrating the anti-Habsburg uprising, is a day of festivity for Hungarians with thousands of family programmes, fairs and concerts across the country.

The National Museum, the site of the state commemoration, was empty except for a few locals and foreigners strolling around central Budapest. Shopping malls, gyms, pubs and restaurants remained open over the weekend, but that might change, according to local media, if the situation worsens.

In general there was no sense of panic among Hungarians, who took time to relax and enjoy the early spring day, walking and cycling. Public transport was also in full operation.

News that officials would impose a total lockdown of Budapest over the weekend spread virally on social media. The government quickly denied the rumours and have since arrested a vlogger for spreading false news, a crime under Hungarian law. 

The rumour of the lockdown triggered some panic buying on Friday. Hungarians stocked up on essential items ahead of the holiday weekend and long queues were seen in front of pharmacies. Masks and disinfectants are still in short in supply.

The number of people infected has risen to 32, 159 people are under quarantine in hospitals and some 1,000 are staying in self-isolation as of Sunday night but medical experts say the actual number is multifold higher. Of the 32 people diagnosed with Covid-19 in Hungary so far, 22 are Hungarian, nine Iranian, and one is British.

The Hungarian Medical Chamber (MOK) is ringing the alarm bells, saying there might be 1,000 people carrying the virus at present and that the pandemic could peak in a couple of weeks with 50,000-60,000 infections. 

The number of people tested remains at a very low level at just above 1,200. There is a guideline set by the government on who is entitled to be tested, and hospitals could easily reject people with high risk of carrying the virus, experts say. News is also emerging on the lack of protective gear and masks among GPs and hospital staff. MOK has also proposed the government ban travel across the country and the closure of shops, bars, restaurants.

Orban makes u-turn over school closures

Orban ruled out closing primary and secondary schools in an interview with state media on Friday morning saying "it is our understanding today that the coronavirus does not infect children or children are infected without becoming sick". Shutting down schools would be tantamount to ending the school year, he added.

However, just 14 hours later in a Facebook message Orban made a u-turn saying that all primary and secondary schools would be shut down from Monday. This came after all seven parliamentary parties took a common stance, including the ruling Fidesz, as pressure mounted from teachers and parents to shut down schools. Local governments will decide on the closure of kindergartens and nurseries.

Teaching in schools will continue on digital platforms, the details of which are not known yet. The prime minister acknowledged the shortfalls in implementing the digital programme for primary and secondary schools launched a few years ago, which should have been completed by now.

Hungarian state television MTVA will start broadcasting teaching materials on one of its television channels, which will also be available on the internet. Teachers are scrambling to gather the necessary technological facilities to allow them to go online.

During his Friday morning interview the prime minister confirmed that managing the economic impact of the coronavirus would require large scale reallocations and a broad rethink of the 2020 and 2021 budgets. Orban repeated a pledge to build targeted measures to support the hardest hit segments of the economy into an action plan drafted on the basis of feedback from businesses.

Hungary's right-wing leader did not miss the chance to blame the spread of the virus on foreigners, saying there was a clear link between illegal immigration and the spread of the virus.

"Because movement spreads the disease and makes the epidemic global, and migration is movement, therefore there is a logical link between the two," he said. "Hungary has managed to defend against migration, so we are protected against the infections migrants may bring with them."

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