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Hungary imposes night-time curfew to fight virus

Europe Materials 4 November 2020 06:13 (UTC +04:00)
Hungary imposes night-time curfew to fight virus

Hungary's government imposed a 12 midnight to 5 a.m. nationwide curfew as of midnight on Tuesday and will close bars and entertainment venues to curb the spread of coronavirus, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

"The spread of the epidemic has accelerated, so by mid-December, our hospitals would reach the limits of their capacity. Our parents and grandparents face a serious danger, it is time to take further action," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a video message posted on his Facebook page following a government meeting.

He said the government would introduce a "special legal order" as of 12 midnight on Tuesday and would ask Parliament to extend it for 90 days.

"At sports events, in cinemas and theaters, people will only be allowed to sit in every third chair, and the use of face masks will be mandatory without exceptions," he said. The authorities will monitor compliance with these measures and close non-complying institutions immediately.

"Nightclubs will be closed because it is impossible to follow the rules in such places," according to Orban.

To reduce crowding on public transport, additional vehicles would be put in service during rush hours.

The prime minister also pledged to procure COVID-19 vaccines, which he said would be made available to all citizens who want it.

He said that his government was engaged in talks on purchasing vaccines from China and Russia, adding that Hungary could have access to 2-3 different vaccines by the spring.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, many countries are racing to find a vaccine. According to the website of the World Health Organization, as of Nov. 3, there were 202 COVID-19 candidate vaccines being developed worldwide, and 47 of them were in clinical trials.

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