At a press conference this afternoon, the Coronavirus Operational Group announced that after encountering three new cases of coronavirus earlier today, the total number of infected people in Hungary has increased to 16.
Colonel Tibor Lakatos, the leader of the Operational Group, said that in line with the government’s decision to implement a list of restrictive measures to combat coronavirus (click here for more), a border control was reestablished along Hungary’s borders with Slovenia and Austria. At the border, people coming from Italy are asked to present identification documents and undergo routine medical check-ups.
Earlier today, Lakatos said that four Hungarian citizens returning from Italy were requested to stay in self-isolation, while two Romanians and two South Koreans were denied entry.
According to the statements, Hungarian police officers will assist in the research of personal contact that current coronavirus patients have had. They will also perform regular checks in clubs and event halls to see whether the venues are adhering to the ban on indoor events with more than 100 people and on outdoor ones with attendance above 500.
Meanwhile, infectologist Dr. János Szlávik confirmed that the three new patients are an Iranian student, a 27-year-old Hungarian man who has just returned from Israel, and a 49-year-old Hungarian woman. We can, however, safely announce that we have the first recovered case of coronavirus in Hungary: One of the Iranian students previously diagnosed is expected to leave the hospital later today after a series of negative tests.
Speaking about the government’s wide-ranging public information campaigns on the coronavirus, State Secretary Csaba Dömötör said that starting today, TV and radio channels will broadcast informational spots intended especially for the elderly.