BUDAPEST (HUNGARY) – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday that Hungary could consider tightening some lockdown restrictions as coronavirus infections are expected to rise “drastically” in the next two weeks, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday.
All the 2.6 million Hungarians who have registered to receive the vaccine would get at least one dose by Easter in early April, said Orban.
The prime minister said he hoped to get the shot developed by China’s Sinopharm early next week.
“We need to radically limit travels outside Europe,” he said.
Orban hinted at “very strict travel rules” to be worked out, and depending on the pace of fresh cases in coming days, he said tightening of curbs could become necessary.
The government has prolonged a partial lockdown until March 15 and all secondary schools have been closed since November 11. Hotels and restaurants are not allowed to function except for takeaway meals. All gatherings have been banned and there is a 1900 GMT curfew in place.
With a population of 10 million, the nation has recorded 414,514 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic and 14,672 fatalities. The daily tally of new infections surged to 4,385 on Thursday, the highest this year.
Over half a million people have so far received the first dose of the vaccine.
On Wednesday, it became the first nation in Europe to start vaccinating people with Sinopharm shots after rolling out Russia’s Sputnik V as part of its vaccination campaign. The EU is yet to grant regulatory approval to the shots developed by China and Russia.