Fully 99 Covid patients, mostly elderly and suffering from an underlying illness, have died in the past 24 hours and coronavirus infections have risen by 4,290 to 156,949, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Wednesday. Altogether 3,380 Covid patients have died since the appearance of coronavirus in Hungary, while 34,846 have made a recovery. There are currently 118,723 active infections and 7,499 patients are in hospital, 581 on ventilators. Fully 35,804 people are in official home quarantine, while the number of tests stands at 1,409,651. Most infections have been registered in Budapest (37,222), followed by Pest County (20,385), and the counties of Győr-Moson-Sopron (11,032), Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén (9,026), Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg (8,480) and Hajdú-Bihar (8,086). Tolna County has the fewest infections (2,093).
On November 10, 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 takeaways, while hotels are not allowed to cater to tourists, only guests arriving for business, economic or educational purposes. Sports 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. Family and private events including birthday celebrations can be held with a maximum of ten people attending. Funerals can be held with not more than 50 people in attendance. The government has asked religious communities to make sure their conduct during ceremonies aligns with general coronavirus safety rules. From Monday, soldiers are helping the police in carrying out their duties in public areas. Soldiers have also been assigned to help out staff in 93 hospitals around Hungary.