Anti-migration Hungary Reimposes Coronavirus Measures on Selected Foreigners

By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News reporting from Budapest

(Worthy News) – Hungary’s fiercely anti-migration government warned Sunday it would reimpose far-reaching coronavirus restrictions on people arriving from nations with a moderate or high number of coronavirus infections. The measures include mandatory two-week quarantines or bans and other limitations.

Only Hungarian citizens can legally enter from countries in the “red” category — those with a high rate of infections — including Albania, Ukraine, Belarus, and practically all of Asia, Africa, and South and Central America. They will have to stay in quarantine for two weeks, but will be allowed out earlier if they get two negative test results 48 hours apart, the government said.

Both Hungarians and foreigners arriving from countries in the “yellow” category will have to quarantine for two weeks. Those nations include the United States as well as Bulgaria, Portugal, Romania, and Sweden, as well as Britain, Russia, Serbia, Japan, and China.

They are allowed out if they test negative for the virus: once in the case of Hungarians, or two negative tests 48 hours apart in the case of foreigners.

Gergely Gulyás, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s chief of staff, defended the decisions. “We see worrisome signs about an increase in the number of cases in the neighboring countries, Europe and the whole world,” he said.

However, critics claim the increasingly autocratic Orbán misuses public anxiety about the pandemic to stay in power by stirring anti-migration sentiments. Orbán has blamed foreigners and migration for the spread of coronavirus in Hungary, a European Union member state.

Gulyás explained that the new measures, which start Wednesday, will be reviewed at least once a week. Hungary says it registered five new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, with no further deaths linked to the pandemic. In total, Hungary reported 4,234 infections so far. Authorities say 595 have died of the coronavirus disease COVID-19 in Hungary, which has a population of nearly 10 million.

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