Hungary will completely ban access to its territory for non-residents from Tuesday in an attempt to stem the increase in the number of contaminations by the new coronavirus, the government announced on Friday during a press briefing.
“From September 1, foreign citizens will no longer be allowed to enter the territory of Hungary. Hungarian citizens returning from abroad must be quarantined for 14 days or must present two negative tests, ”said the head of Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyas.
“There is a risk of introducing the virus and most new infections are of foreign origin. Hungarians who enter the country have to finance the test themselves, they will not be paid by the state. The epidemiological classification of countries has been abolished, Hungary is green, all other countries are now turning red, ”added Mr Gulyas, referring to a traffic light system in place.
The details of these measures and the exceptions, in particular diplomatic ones, to its application, must be specified on Saturday morning during a meeting in which the sovereignist Prime Minister Viktor Orban must participate.
The government has indicated that the border closure will have to remain in place for a month.
A member of the European Union and the Schengen area, Hungary has less than 10 million inhabitants and has officially registered around 5,500 cases of contamination with the new coronavirus. 614 deaths are attributed to the COVID-19 disease.