Orban imposes 2-week lockdown, expects coronavirus peak in Hungary by July

Hungary is imposing a two-week lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus epidemic. It is expected to peak in the country in June or July, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday.

Citizens will be allowed to go to work, shop and take limited exercise outside during the lockdown, which starts on Saturday. However, they should keep distance from each other, Orban said on public radio. Restrictions would be enforced by police, he added.

Hungary has recorded around 300 coronavirus cases and 10 deaths,  Reuters reported. Orban has said the actual number of cases is probably much higher. “Restrictions put in place so far have been efficient,” the PM said. “Hungarians reduced the magnitude of social contact [but]… the decline has stopped, so we had to impose the movement restrictions.”

The government in Budapest has pushed for an open-ended extension of a state of emergency that would give it the right to bypass parliament. Legislators are due to vote on the measure next week. Authorities and the central bank have taken steps to shore up growth. The government will present a post-outbreak action plan for the economy in the first or second week of April.