The foreign minister said the Hungarian government will not leave anyone in Hungary without assistance, adding that “we will bring Hungarians stranded abroad back home and we will restart the economy”.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Péter Szijjártó said the government had acted in a timely manner to ensure that the country has sufficient supplies to fight the coronavirus epidemic. He noted that seven aircraft had arrived in Hungary with such supplies last week and another 20 cargo flights with “hundreds of tons” of supplies are expected.
The new deliveries will include over 10 million face masks, 2.5 million rapid tests, 100,000 protective clothes, 300,000 pairs of gloves, and over 2,000 respirators to help the country with its efforts and ensure protection for healthcare workers.
Minister Szijjártó also said that Hungary was conducting “the greatest repatriation operation in modern times”, helping thousands of Hungarians return home from other countries. So far, the government has thus helped 5,538 Hungarian nationals, and is working to make travel arrangements for another 2,026.
The minister said there are currently 477 Hungarians stranded in the United States and Canada, and the government will send two aircraft today to bring them back. In South America and in the Caribbean there are 243 Hungarians waiting for help, he said, adding that “the European Union has been late with its coordination” and the government is working with other central European countries.
Meanwhile, he said Hungarians will be flown back from India in cooperation with Poland. Over 200 Hungarian employees will also be brought home from Kazakhstan, he added.
A call center set up for advice on the coronavirus can be reached on +36-80-277-455 and +36-80-277-456 or by email koronavirus@bm.gov.hu