"The vaccine saves lives, and only the vaccine saves lives. Wearing masks and social distancing won’t help," PM Viktor Orbán said in a recent interview.Continue reading
The government is not planning any stricter coronavirus pandemic measures, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told public broadcaster Kossuth Radio on Friday morning.
“A mask is not a solution,” Orbán said, referring to the fact that more and more people are wearing masks in public places, although this is not mandatory. The Prime Minister believes only those who are contagious should wear masks in order to avoid passing on the virus to others. (However, doctors and experts urge everyone to wear masks in public spaces, especially in closed spaces and crowded areas. Also, anyone who is infected or suspects that they may be infected must not come into contact with others, nor should they go to work or into public spaces.)
PM Orbán thinks “isolation, quarantine, masks, and so on, do not solve our problem.” According to him, vaccination is the only way to reduce the risk of getting infected in the fourth wave.
On the other hand, the government will not make vaccination compulsory, because, according to Orbán, “the stomach of the Hungarians could not take it” but he urged everyone to get vaccinated. At the same time, he confirmed that the government will extend the corona emergency until January 2022.
He underlined the importance of third jabs, saying that “it is better to get a booster jab than not to get it.”
A third jab is available to anyone within two weeks of registration, no matter where they live in the country, Orbán said. The severity of the fourth wave of the coronavirus epidemic will depend on the country’s vaccination rate, he added. (Which is currently below the EU average.)
Orbán highlighted the significance of the government’s recent National Consultation public survey, and said that “a difficult decade is ahead of us; we will have migration and epidemics and we need to be prepared. It is good if the people are given an opportunity to indicate what solid points they insist on.”
Featured photo illustration by Tamás Kovács/MTI
