Coronavirus: Hungary closes its borders to almost all foreigners
The city center of the Hungarian capital, Budapest, deserted by its inhabitants on March 28, 2020. REUTERS / Bernadett Szabo
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The measure comes into force on September 1 and for at least one month: Hungary closes its borders to foreigners.
With 614 deaths for 10 million inhabitants, and 5,500 cases of contamination, the country has been less affected than others by the Covid-19 epidemic.
But the number of new cases is increasing.
Faced with the upsurge in the number of cases in Europe, Hungary must be protected, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
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With our correspondent in Budapest,
Florence La Bruyère
From this Tuesday, tourists are banned from entering Hungary.
But diplomats, foreigners who work in the country and have a residence permit, as well as foreign students enrolled in a Hungarian university, are allowed to cross the border.
On one condition: stay in quarantine for 2 weeks or present 2 negative tests - only tests carried out in a laboratory in Budapest will be accepted.
Same conditions for Hungarians returning from abroad.
But tourists are not all in the same boat.
The Czech Prime Minister, Andrej Babis, personally intervened with the Hungarian Prime Minister: the 2 men participated Monday in a meeting of the heads of government of Central Europe in Slovenia, where Viktor Orban, who keeps repeating that the 2nd wave is there, ignored barrier gestures.
Without a mask, he shook hands with the head of the Slovenian government.
Andrej Babis has asked for preferential treatment for Czech tourists who have booked their holidays in Hungary for a long time.
The privilege has been granted.
From this Tuesday, Czech holidaymakers are welcome on condition that they present negative tests that they have had done in their country.
This is what Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjarto said.
In short, all foreigners are equal but some are more equal than others.
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