Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was granted expanded powers under the state of emergency, announced on Thursday that the containment measures taken last month to combat the spread of the coronavirus will be extended until further notice.
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The measures taken, which only allow you to travel outside your home to go to work, shop, exercise or go to the pharmacy, were due to expire on April 11. " We are extending the duration of the travel restrictions, we are extending them for an indefinite period ," said Viktor Orban in a video posted on his Facebook page. " We will review these restrictions every week, " he added.
He invited the Hungarians to respect these restrictions during the Easter holidays, in particular by avoiding any crowd and by respecting the distance in the public space. " We have to get used to the idea that these Easter celebrations will not go as usual, " he said. It also granted mayors the power to make " more stringent decisions " with respect to their constituents. Hungarian parliament passed a law last week granting Viktor Orban enhanced powers under an unlimited state of emergency, he said, necessary to deal with the pandemic which has so far killed 66 of 980 people cases recorded in this country of 10 million inhabitants.
The EU, the United States and several European capitals have called on the Hungarian authorities to show restraint and respect for the rule of law, worried about an authoritarian shift in favor of the pandemic.
