“The aim is to return to a normal course of life in this area, too,” Cecília Müller told an online press conference of the operative board coordinating Hungary’s response to the epidemic.

She said that starting on Monday all health services are once again available to the public without restrictions. Some 80% of hospital beds formerly reserved for novel coronavirus patients can be used for other purposes but 20% still need to be maintained for coronavirus patients, she said.

Restrictions on hospital visits have been partially lifted, with hospital heads still having the right to specify detailed rules, she said.

Operative board spokesman Róbert Kiss told the same press conference that family gatherings of not more than 200 participants for weddings and funerals are now also allowed in Budapest. Live music is also allowed for such events, he added.

Commenting on recent reports of a spike in the number of infections reported in Ukraine and Romania, he said the borders in question were being monitored on an ongoing basis. Non-Hungarian citizens are still not allowed to enter Hungary except for citizens of countries that have signed bilateral agreements, he said.

Entry from Romania and Ukraine is only allowed for farm workers, certain people in possession of a special permit and those travelling on to western Europe, he added.

MTI Photo