Hungary implements new measures to combat spread of coronavirus
The measures include:
Due to the quarantine extended to the whole of Italy, Hungary will introduce checks also on the Schengen borders and screen passengers driving to Hungary from Italy.
Hungarians returning from lockdown areas in Italy are asked to stay home for 14 days and do not go to work or to school until further measures are implemented.
Measures first introduced in Lombardia and 14 other counties in northern Italy on Sunday have been extended to the whole of Italy. In a bid to fight the spread of the coronavirus, the whole of the country is now underlockdown. Residents' movements are restricted to a minimum and they need special permission to leave their domicile, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced late on Monday.
The Operational Corps has made a proposal regarding sport events and the cabinet will address it on Wednesday. The plan was conceived on the basis of recommendations by other European countries and Hungary's neighbours.
They also recommend suspending events relating to the upcoming national holiday (15 March), particularly if they are to be held in enclosed spaces.
Schools and kindergartens should not hold such events, either.
People older than 60 years of age are recommended to stay away from larger gatherings and crowds.
Already 12 people infected with the coronavirus in Hungary
Chief Medical Officer Cecília Müller said the three new patients diagnosed with the coronavirus are all Iranian citizens and are among the contacts of a previous Iranian case. All of them have already been hospitalised in the Szent László hospital, that is how their infection was discovered.
She stressed that although it is not in practice all across Europe, everyone who contacted an infected person get examined and tested and then tested again, which gives local authorities more and more experience.
Although there are already 12 positive cases, four of them gave negative samples at first therefore the second and even third tests are warranted, she underlined.
Resources can be increased
The Hungarian government will allocate an extra HUF 8.763 bn for defending against the coronavirus, the Government Information Centre (KTK) announced. According to the latest Public Gazette, this includes HUF 2 bn in re-allocated funds and a HUF 6.763 bn commitment beyond this year's free budget reserves.
The stressed at the press conference that if need be the allocations can be increased.
About the ban on hospital visits
Müller Cecília announced on Monday that she had ordered a ban on hospital visits in all inpatient health and social institutions in Hungary because of the coronavirus. There are exceptions, though.
It is not prohibited to visit and tend to incapacitated patients in serious condition. Parents may be with their minor, particularly if the parent is also infected. If it comes to a quarantine, the parent needs to decide if he/she will spend 14 days with their child in there, because leaving the quarantine is not possible.
Clerics may also visit patients, but the specifics are regulated by the individual hospitals, she added.
The whole point of the measure is to protect the elderly as efficiently as possible, and make sure that relatives who could have been exposed to the virus do not infect another group that runs a high risk of suffering grave consequences from getting infected.
16 medical staff in quarantine
There are 16 health care workers in quarantine in the Szent László hospital indeed. Their first tests came back negative, but there will be a second test tomorro, said Müller.
There could be restrictions of sports events
As regards the number of cases, we have reached a point where we should consider what should be done with sports events, theatre plays, cinemas and other events that gather crowds. Restrictive measures will shortly be implemented, said Tibor Lakatos, head of the operative board.
The size of the audience is important, as the higher it is, the greater the risk of contagion is. For now, we have a plan in respect of sports events. The practice in Europe is that above a certain number of visitors, not open-door events may be organised.
This is already the seventh virus strain
This coronavirus is the seventh virus strain in Hungary. Its genetic code is about 20% different from that ofthe previous six and that is causing the infections, but we learn new information every day, said Müller.
There was an article in the New Scientist a few days ago, which said two strains of the new coronavirus are spreading around the world, according to an analysis of 103 cases. But the World Health Organization insists that “there is no evidence that the virus has been changing”. So how many strains are there, and why does it matter? Read more here.
Cover photo: Getty Images
