N

Hungary cooperates with other EU member states to prevent a coronavirus epidemic

The coronavirus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December and has so far claimed the lives of over 1,000 people worldwide.

Hungary is cooperating with other EU member states to prevent a coronavirus epidemic.

Speaking after a meeting of EU healthcare ministers, deputy state secretary Szabolcs Szigeti said the EU called for “active, evidence-based cooperation employing proportionate measures”.

According to MTI, the meeting stressed the importance of aid to “nations where the healthcare system is less prepared” to cope with the virus and the best ways to fight it.

Szigeti said that although “seemingly manageable”, the virus presents the “risk of an epidemic constituting a global danger”.

The deputy state secretary praised the efficiency of international organizations and the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism which helped, among others, the Hungarians in Hubei province to travel home.

Szigeti said EU member states are conducting research into the virus. They have also pledged to focus on providing information for travelers, the centralized procurement of protective masks, medicine and diagnostic equipment, ensuring the safety of healthcare workers and border control and protection.

No cases of Hungarians infected by the virus have been reported so far, nor has anyone on Hungary’s territory been infected.