Hungary’s chief medical officer orders nationwide ban on hospital visits

Hungary’s chief medical officer has ordered a nationwide ban on visits to hospitals, the National Public Health Centre (NNK) said on Wednesday.

The ban, in effect from Tuesday, applies to both public and private institutions, NNK told MTI.

The restrictions do not apply in the cases of severely or terminally ill patients. Under the chief medical officer’s resolution, one parent is also allowed to stay at the hospital with their child and women due to give birth may also choose someone to accompany them.

Institutions found in violation of the ban face a fine of up to 5 million forints (EUR 14,000).

• Latest numbers: There are over 5,000 active infections, no travel restrictions on foreign hunters to Hungary!

7,000 test requests made each day

Fully 7,000 requests for coronavirus tests are received each day, the chief medical officer said at an online health conference on Wednesday. Whereas there was a need to increase test delivery capacities, laboratories have sufficient means to evaluate the tests, Cecília Müller said.

Now the second wave of the virus has arrived, the focus should be on protecting the elderly and the chronically ill,

she said, noting her recent instructions to restrict access and admissions to social care homes.