PM Orbán announces new restrictions to combat the pandemic

A left-wing political scientist deems the government’s epidemic emergency policies announced on Monday belated and week. A pro-government commentator, on the other hand, thinks that the restrictions are necessary – and describes opposition criticism as incoherent and irresponsible.

On Monday, PM Orbán announced new restrictions in order to keep the coronavirus epidemic at bay. Prime Minister Orbán said that he follows Austria’s example with the new measures. As of Wednesday, restaurants and sports facilities will be closed, there will be a curfew from 8 PM, public gatherings will be restricted and high school as well as university education will go online.

Mérce’s Zoltán Gábor Szűcs finds the government’s coronavirus emergency policies irresponsible, unreasonable and haphazard. The left-wing analyst points out that the government was fast to introduce much stricter restrictions in March than now, despite the fact that the second wave of the pandemic is deeper than the first one was.

In Magyar Nemzet, Ottó Gajdics welcomes the restrictions. The pro-government columnist thinks that without these measures, the coronavirus cannot be contained, and the healthcare system would collapse. Gajdics calls the opposition’s demand for more subsidies demagogic populist. He adds that the opposition never seems to be satisfied with the government’s coronavirus measures. They either find the restrictions too strict or accuse the government of ignoring the health care emergency.

Tags: coronavirus, economy, Orbán