Currently, 860 people are being treated in hospital for Covid-19, 60 of whom require ventilation, Cecilia Müller told an online news conference.

Addressing the government order to hospitals to vacate a proportion of their beds, Müller said that since normally only 65-70% of Hungary’s 66,000 hospital beds are occupied, only 15% of them would have to be freed up.

She insisted that patients whose condition could worsen if sent home would not be discharged.

In response to a question, Müller said the coronavirus had so far spread to 12 of Hungary’s 1,035 retirement homes, killing 31 people.

Budapest-based retirement homes have so far received 36,800 protective gloves and 262,000 face masks with more protective gear set to be delivered to them next week, she said.

Róbert Kiss, a spokesman of the operational board that coordinates Hungary’s response to the epidemic, told the same news conference that 60 hospitals are scheduled to receive a total of 53.4 tonnes of protective equipment on Friday.

The authorities have so far taken action over the violation of curfew rules in 21,093 instances, he said.

A total of 11,705 people have been issued warnings, 4,871 have been fined and misdemeanour charges have been filed against 4,517, he added.

As regards epidemic-related legal action, Kiss noted that proceedings have been launched in 234 instances.

MTI Photo: Gergely Botár