Hungary: Lockdown restrictions eased amid the COVID-19 death spike

The Hungary government has lifted several lockdown restrictions on April 7. Businesses that had been closed since March will now be able to reopen with limited customers in the shops. The decision was taken against the doctors warning who had urged caution after a record-breaking day of COVID-19 deaths.

Shops and businesses reopen in Hungary

The decision was taken after 2.5 million people have taken the first jab of the vaccine. But, a new high was recorded in terms of deaths due to COVID-19. Hungary reported 311 COVID-19 deaths on April 7. Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced the lifting of lockdown restrictions on his Facebook account. In the video, he said that they have reached an important milestone, reported AP. He said that the virus waged a war against the people and the weapon which can be used against the virus is a vaccine. The Prime Minister who faces an election next year aims to revive the economy of the country by easing the lockdown restrictions.

The lockdown restrictions that have been eased include shops and businesses can now reopen. Shopping hours have been extended from 7 pm to 9:30 pm. The night curfew which was placed in November last year starts two hours later at 10 pm. Restaurants and bars will remain limited to take-out and delivery service while the hotels will remain closed. The shop owners have welcomed the government's decision despite the fears that the reopening may lead to a fourth wave.

Hungary has vaccinated 2.5 million people of its 10 million population. It has the second-highest vaccination rate in the European Union. The board of directors of the Hungarian Chamber of Doctors told The Associated Press that “continues to consider improvement in pandemic data and a reduction of the burden on the healthcare system to be the conditions for the reopening that everyone is waiting for.” 

COVID situation in Hungary

As per the website of About Hungary, 1933 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Hungary on April 7. The number of COVID-19 cases now stands at 693,676. Meanwhile, 311 more Hungarians succumbed to the virus and the number of those who have recovered grew to 419,152. The number of active coronavirus cases now stands at 252,115. 2,536,751 people have so far been vaccinated against COVID-19 in Hungary.

(Inputs from The Associated Press)

(Image Credits: AP/Pixabay)