Fully 87 Covid patients, mostly elderly and suffering from an underlying illness, have died in the past 24 hours and coronavirus infections have risen by 3,927 to 126,790, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Thursday. Altogether 2,784 Covid patients have died since the appearance of coronavirus in Hungary, while 29,302 have made a recovery. There are currently 94,704 active infections and 6,426 patients are in hospital, 486 on ventilators. Fully 34,040 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests stands at 1,282,975.
On Tuesday, lawmakers extended the government’s special powers by 90 days, allowing the government to suspend the application of some legislation, diverge from legal provisions and take other extraordinary measures by decree.
A major new rule is that face masks must be worn in public spaces in localities with more than 10,000 residents, though it is up to local mayors to decide which spaces the rule applies to. Among other measures recently introduced: school classes from the eighth grade as well as universities are now holding lessons and lectures online. Also, a curfew is in force between 8pm and 5am, and work carried out beyond the home must be justified.
With the exception of pharmacies and petrol stations, shops can be open until 7pm. Hairdressers, masseurs and personal trainers must observe general curfew rules. Restaurants are limited to offering take-aways, while hotels are not allowed to cater to tourists, only guests arriving for business, economic or educational purposes. Sporting events must be held behind closed doors. Also, leisure facilities such as fitness gyms, indoor swimming pools, museums, libraries, cinemas, zoos and skating rinks must suspend their services.
Events, including cultural events and Christmas fairs, cannot be held under the special rules. The government has asked religious communities to make sure their conduct during ceremonies aligns with general coronavirus safety rules. The authorities have ordered the total suspension of classroom teaching in 133 kindergartens and 24 schools.
Most infections have been registered in Budapest (31,111), followed by Pest County (16,673), and the counties of Győr-Moson-Sopron (9,250), Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén (7,204), Hajdú-Bihar (6,433) and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg (6,406). Tolna County has the fewest infections (1,593).