The Democratic Coalition (DK) on Friday called on the government to refund the costs of protection against the novel coronavirus epidemic to municipalities.
Judit Rácz Földi, the head of DK’s association of local government officials, told a press conference that the government “refuses to face the fact that municipalities have borne the brunt of the protection efforts”.
Rácz Földi said local governments distributed protective gear in hospitals and face masks to the population, organised testing in many institutions and oversaw tasks such as shopping for elderly citizens.
She called on the government to withdraw “austerity measures” such as quadrupling the solidarity tax and to set up a relief fund for local governments facing difficulties due to growing spending in health-care and social services during the epidemic.
Featured photo by Zoltán Máthé/MTI