Hungary extends its border closure until February 1, 2021. According to the Hungarian official gazette, the strict border regime, which initially applied until December 1, will be extended by two more months. In this sense, foreigners are only allowed to enter Hungary with justified exceptions, while Hungarian citizens returning to their country have to go into quarantine.
The restrictions introduced so far will remain in place, said Chancellery Minister Gergely Gulyas at a press conference in Budapest today. The minister initially justified the high number of cases with the increased number of tests. The situation should be checked again next week.
Regarding the vaccine, Gulyas emphasized that Hungary was negotiating with Russia, China and Israel, with the vaccination being offered free of charge and voluntarily. The minister also criticized Pfizer for a lack of solidarity, as Pfizer would initially only deliver to the USA and will refund half of the Hungarian advance payment.
Strongly increasing CoV numbers in Hungary
Regarding the EU budget, Gulyas said that Hungary would continue to insist on its veto and refused to allow EU funds to be tied to political conditions. Hungary owes nothing to the EU, said Gulyas. The country would receive four billion euros annually, while EU companies earned six billion euros from their operations in Hungary.
When asked about future US President Joe Biden’s comment on US leadership in the world, Gulyas recalled that in Hungary, citizens would decide how to run the country every four years. In response to further questions about the US elections, the minister stressed that Hungary would cooperate with those in the US who were officially elected leaders and continued to trust in good cooperation.
The number of people newly infected with CoV in Hungary rose dramatically in the past 24 hours to 6,360, almost doubling. 115 people died in connection with the virus, 7,537 are in hospital, 640 are artificially ventilated. There are 45,750 people in quarantine and 1,566,619 million tests have been carried out.
