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Coronavirus Update: PM Orbán says the goal is to keep Hungary stable and financially independent

In his regular slot on Kossuth Radio this morning, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán discussed crisis management, the opposition, preparing for the spread of COVID-19, and protecting the economy.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán discussed the new economic protection measures this morning and how the opposition is still working to overthrow the government even during the epidemic.

Even now, everyone has to contribute in some way to the situation, which is why it was important for all political parties to get involved. “If everyone undertakes something, it will have an effect,” the prime minister said.

PM Orbán said the content and timing of decisions are important in crisis management. “Making a decision in a timely fashion also means gathering information efficiently," he said. We are now moving from cluster infections to mass disease, so we waited to see if tougher decisions were needed, the PM said.

The prime minister also discussed how the situation differs greatly across the country, meaning that it’s not possible to make one centralized decision. “That’s why we’ve given the mayors more leeway in this situation,” he said.

The government is maintaining restrictions on movement indefinitely; they will review these on a weekly basis, but mayors may decide locally whether they want to tighten them.

“In other countries, the epidemic seems to be peaking, but we are not there yet,” the prime minister said. He also noted that a separate group is watching Austria and southern Germany. In the case of Austria, the effectiveness of its measures have been seen, as the disease appeared there earlier, and Hungary has been assessing developments there.

Read more on the prime minister's radio interview here.

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