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“It’s time to take new steps so that we can protect the ability of hospitals to function and also protect the lives of the elderly,” Orbans said.
An emergency situation will take effect in Hungary from midnight on Tuesday, which will allow the government to govern the country through decrees, the prime minister said.
“We need to put aside the political debate, we need swift action,” Orban said, adding that there was a risk that hospitals would be overcrowded by mid-December.
The state of emergency will initially run for 15 days, but Parliament will be called upon to extend it for another 90 days.
Restaurants and clubs will be closed and other restrictions will be introduced across the country to ensure social distancing.
Hungary today recorded a record death toll of 84 Covid-19 patients a day. As a result, the total number of pandemic victims in Hungary reached 1973.
4767 Covid-19 patients are treated in hospitals.
In Hungary, more people died in October than in the previous four months combined.
In March, Orban imposed strict restrictions quite quickly, which helped Hungary curb the spread of the virus. Also at that time, a state of emergency was declared, allowing the Prime Minister to carry out public administration for an indefinite period by decree. This, in turn, raised concerns about the country’s slippage towards authoritarianism, but in June Orbans formally withdrew special powers and restrictions imposed in the fight against the pandemic were eased.
With the onset of the second wave of the new coronavirus, Orban refrained from calling for the re-establishment of strict restrictions, except for the closure of the border. Schools continued to work and spectators were admitted to sporting events.
But last week in Hungary Medical the court warned Orban that stronger action was needed to prevent the disaster.
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