Hungary’s measures to contain the novel coronavirus epidemic were among the most successful in Europe, and the country has so far avoided a mass outbreak with thousands of fatalities, Justice Minister Judit Varga told the ambassadors of European Union member states in Budapest. Varga briefed the ambassadors on the successes of the Hungarian response to the epidemic and on the planned regulations of reopening the country. She noted that the government had imposed a state of emergency on March 11, averting a mass outbreak. The defence was so effective that as early as May, the government could submit a proposal to end the state of emergency in mid-June, she said.
“All this was possible because the government could count on Hungarians’ disciplined cooperation and sacrifice,” she said. At the same time, preparedness has to be maintained, Varga said, so that the government could continue to take timely and proportionate measures to prevent a further outbreak. “Hungarians always stand together in difficult times, and help each other as one nation,” Varga said.