He said reopening could take place on such dates because present calculations indicate that 2.5 million people will be inoculated by then.

There will be at least one week of preparations before the reopening of schools and kindergartens, during which time kindergarten teachers will be inoculated.

Gulyás said the situation is serious, but the healthcare system is capable of performing its duties, even if it is extended.

He revealed that 600,000 pensioners have not registered to be vaccinated. Chief medical officer Cecília Müller has sent them a letter encouraging them to register.

She said on this Thursday that 69% of those over 65 years of age have received the inoculation.

It appears realistic that everybody who has registered will be inoculated before the end of May, Gulyás added.

After his regular Friday’s morning radio interview MTI reports PM Viktor Orbán saying that Hungary has no room to loosen lockdown measures yet due to a rise in coronavirus infections.

This morning Orbán noted that the government planned to limit the number of customers allowed in shops from the weekend, and may possibly keep shops open longer in the evening, with decisions on this to be published tomorrow.

“Everybody is tired, frustrated and can hardly wait to become free, which is why we aim to give people exact points of reference. In a modern democracy everybody is free to say whatever they like; but it is the chief medical officer and the government that are continually communicating credible information,” Orbán added.

Earlier this week the Hungarian Medical Chamber warned people to limit shopping to once a week, to avoid public transport, noting that:

“We have been leading the world in death rates as a share of the population for days, most hospital departments now serve as COVID departments, intensive care units are under a multiple overload.”

So far some 500 volunteers have joined the protective efforts – click here for more details.