No coronavirus cases in Hungary – yet

A former chief sanitary inspector is certain that the first cases of coronavirus in Hungary are only a matter of time.

On hvg online, former chief medical inspector Ferenc Falus approves the precaution measures taken by both the authorities and individuals, but warns that with masses of people travelling though Hungary’s airports and borders daily, it is unrealistic to hope that Hungary can remain coronavirus free for long. In their report on how Hungary is preparing for the potential pandemic, Judit Windisch and Emese Dobos write that measuring the temperatures of passengers at the airports is useful but can only screen those who already show symptoms. However, even such controls are not performed at the land border crossings, they remark. A group of high school students has been quarantined, but only because one of the parents warned the authorities that they had spent a night near one of the focal points of the epidemic in Italy. The authorities have not advised people not to travel to Italy, although the Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs, who has been placed in charge of Hungarians in areas hit by the disease, is advising citizens to consider postponing any planned trips to Italy.

Tags: coronavirus, Italy