At the beginning of his regular morning interview on Kossuth Radio today, Prime Minister Orbán said that the government is continuously monitoring the opinions of healthcare experts. The first phase of the coronavirus defense will terminate at the end of next week, and they may replace movement restrictions with new rules at that time.
“In the second stage of the defense, we can gradually restart life in Hungary. The main goal is to be able to protect the most vulnerable, even during this next period. New rules might be needed for the elderly and big cities,” the prime minister said.
PM Orbán pointed out that in the current situation, it is the government's responsibility to create the proper circumstances under which not a single life is lost. In several countries, many lives were lost because there were not enough beds and ventilators, he added. The goal of Hungary’s defense has been to gain enough time to acquire the necessary equipment, retrain doctors, and build the necessary air bridges with countries that can help with supplies. “This is now done, and we have flattened the epidemic’s curve,” the prime minister said.
The PM also talked about the crisis management tricks the Government has had to learn in the last six weeks. His cabinet has had to come up with 15 new things that had never been needed before. “In the last ten years, the self-confidence of Hungarians has been restored, and we can now deal with the virus and economic difficulties,” he added.
As noted before, Orbán reiterated that experts have found that the virus is the most dangerous for the elderly and patients suffering from chronic underlying conditions. However, the virus has not spread in the same way nor to the same extent in Hungary as in other countries. “We are not yet over the virus, but we’ve prepared ourselves for the worst,” the PM said, adding that the country may follow the Austrian model when planning new measures.
“The Operational Group is still setting the general rules, and I then issue them in the form of a decree. We are currently issuing a decree every weekend that allows local mayors to create special rules. After May 4, it is likely that general rules will apply,” the prime minister said.
The PM also talked about having to create as many jobs as possible – at least as many as have been lost due to the virus. In Hungary, in addition to unemployment benefits, there is a public work program providing temporary help to people in need. “I’m getting ready for a quick recovery, and we have the tools and the financial background to do that,” he added.
The prime minister found it important to clear up the myth about extra financial resources coming from the European Union. So far, Hungary has not received any additional funds from the European Union to protect against the virus, he explained, adding that now, it’s “only” easier to get the funds that had been originally allocated to Hungary for other purposes.
The prime minister further talked about the EU agreement wherein a significant portion of the resources for the next seven-year budget period could be accessed over the next few years to deal with the damage caused by the coronavirus. Member states’ representatives also agreed on the need for a larger European Union budget framework than before. “Everyone will pay more money, including Hungary,” he added. According to the prime minister, however, there is no agreement regarding the use of any additional source of credit or other resources in the Union for crisis management in the coming years.
PM Orbán also touched on the two current lines of attack against Hungary. One is coming from various capitals, while the other comes from Brussels. “The views of the capitals, such as Berlin, do not interest us, while Brussels is an imperial center. There are still a lot of problems in the latter location, but even there you cannot miss the hand of George Soros behind things,” he stressed.
The second Soros plan has been made, Orbán continued. Soros wrote that the European Union should borrow large sums of money and have an ongoing interest payment on this loan. “In this situation, Hungary's interests must be protected,” the prime minister said.