Violation of the measures imposed due to the coronavirus infection constitutes a breach of law, and the limit of the fine it carries will be HUF 500,000, the head of the duty centre of the Operational Group responsible for the containment of the coronavirus infection said at a press conference held on Monday in Budapest.
Tibor Lakatos said the drafting of the necessary legal rules is under way. The police will monitor compliance with the newly-introduced regulations.
In his words, the coronavirus has reached the region. Looking around in neighbouring countries, one can see that in the Czech Republic 293, in Poland 125 and in Slovakia 61 patients have been registered. This is why the measures announced by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Monday are necessary, he stressed.
Mr Lakatos also said he is only able to outline the measures – to be identified in detail in the legal act yet to be published – in general.
Regarding the closure of stores, he said between 3.00 p.m. and 6.00 a.m. catering establishments must remain closed to individuals other than staff members. The organisation of dance and music events will be banned. This ban will not apply to the services of religious communities, civilian weddings and funerals.
The government will also order the organisation of sports events behind closed doors, he said, adding that several sports associations have already made similar decisions.
The attendance of performing arts events will be prohibited, including visits to cinemas, theatres, museums, libraries, public collections, cultural institutions and community spaces.
Regarding shops, he said after 3.00 p.m. only food stores, pharmacies, shops selling toiletries, household cleaning substances, chemical goods and hygiene paper products, filling stations and tobacco shops will be allowed to stay open. This restriction will not extend to services.
He also said the draft decree will allow the postal delivery of personal documents.
The government will order the Minister of Human Capacities to assess and register the details of individuals having attended medical training and those attending full-time medical training so that – should the need arise – they can be called in to take part in the management of the health care emergency.
The government will also grant the police authorisation to manage any health and medical data that may be necessary for the fulfilment of its disease control responsibilities.
The government will provide for the care of the elderly. Regarding the compliance monitoring activities of the police, he said so far 40 persons had been found in violation of the rules of compulsory home quarantine.
He highlighted that foreign nationals will not be allowed to enter Hungary either by air, rail, water or road. He added that family members will not be separated from one another; the non-Hungarian parents and spouses of Hungarian nationals will be allowed to enter the territory of the country if they have residency permits.
Regarding the temporary unavailability of the government portal koronavirus.gov.hu, he said the portal was not available for a while due to web traffic overload. The National Infocommunications Provider and the National Institute for Cyber Security will investigate whether a deliberate act was committed to prevent access to the website, and if so, there will be consequences under criminal law.
He pointed out that the preventive-containment effort has proceeded to a new stage. Therefore, he asked everyone to comply with the measures seeking to slow down the spread of the virus on a voluntary basis.
In answer to a journalist’s question as to why the container hospital is being built in Kiskunhalas, Mr Lakatos said “it is relatively near” the capital where most cases are currently being detected, and the necessary infrastructure is available on site.