Speaking at the Operational Group’s coronavirus press conference this morning, Péter Ratatics, Chief Executive Officer at Hungarian oil and gas company MOL, announced that his company will produce 50,000 liters of disinfectant per day to help fight the coronavirus. This amount, according to experts, will meet the needs of the entire population of Hungary for several months.
“The most important part of defense against coronavirus is prevention; the most important part of prevention is disinfection. We are ready, we have begun production of the disinfectant,” Ratatics said, adding that public institutions and large firms will have priority when it comes to distributing the liquid.
Tamás Schanda, State Secretary at the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, said the project devised between MOL and the Hungarian government was an “excellent example” of great cooperation, which has the goal of “protecting people’s health and to keep the economy in motion.”
On another note, the state secretary touched upon the amount of protective gear available for key workers. "There are two ways to procure the necessary protective gear,” Schanda said. “One is to buy them from abroad, while the other one is to produce them at home,” he added.
Meanwhile, Colonel Tibor Lakatos, the head of the Operational Group, revealed that the government has recently made available an additional HUF 15 billion for the procurement of protective gear. “The procurement of ventilators, surgical masks, rubber gloves and special equipment is ongoing,” Lakatos said, adding that the expansion of the number of hospital beds in intensive care is also underway.
What’s more, Brigadier General Romolusz Ruszin, the leader of the military branch that provides support for strategic company operations, said the number of companies where the military is involved has increased to 84. “Please don’t imagine this as soldiers working the till, the task of these operational groups is to support companies’ leadership,” Ruszin said.
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