Hungarian PM Reinstates Special Legal Order

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced in a video message Tuesday evening that a "state of danger" will be introduced in Hungary over COVID-19 once again and a nationwide curfew is imposed between midnight and 5 a.m.

“The spread of the pandemic has accelerated,” PM Viktor Orbán is quoted from the video message by the government website. He pointed out that in Austria, the number of infected people per million is one and a half times higher than in Hungary, which is important since according to observations, trends in Hungary follow trends in Austria with a delay of 5-7 days.

“This means that Hungarian hospitals would reach their limit by mid-December,” the prime minister continued, adding that “it is time to take action once again to protect the ability of hospitals to function and to protect the lives of the elderly.”

He added that the government decided to introduce a special legal order again starting at midnight tonight and to ask the Parliament for a 90-day extension.

Besides the special legal order, the government also decided on other restrictions. In theaters, cinemas, and other cultural and sports venues, only every third seat can be occupied and mask-wearing is obligatory. “Authorities will check all events and, if necessary, impose fines; venues that do not follow the rules could be closed immediately,” the prime minister said. He added that “those who do not follow the rules, who do not wear a mask or do not maintain social distancing, endanger not only their lives, but the lives of others, too.”

Opposition politicians criticized the announcement by saying that there is nothing in it about schools, teachers, students, doctors and nurses, and most importantly mass and free testing, while a medical expert said these were alibi measures.