The Hungarian government has decided to cancel this weekend’s March 15 state national holiday celebrations due to the coronavirus.
The operative board announced that although Hungary so far has only identified individual coronavirus cases and there are no major centers of infection, the state commemoration of the 1848 revolution held in the garden of the National Museum would attract people from all over the country. “Therefore the government has decided to accept the operative board’s recommendation and will cancel the March 15 celebration at the Museum Garden for security reasons,” a statement read. Local commemoration events will be decided on by the local organizers.
Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony also announced that a March 15 event planned for City Hall would be cancelled. “Nothing is more important than the safety and health of Budapest residents,” the mayor said on Facebook. Two cities in the provinces followed suit, with Szeged, in the south, and Székesfehérvár, in the west, cancelling celebrations of the national holiday.
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 under koronavirus@bm.gov.hu.
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