It’s official! Hungary reopens terraces, extends curfew from this weekend!

The number of Hungarians vaccinated against Covid-19 will probably reach 3.5 million on Friday, and the terraces of restaurants and bars could open the following day, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Gergely Gulyás told his regular weekly press conference that open-air facilities would be open until 9.30pm, similarly to shops, while curfew would start at 11pm, an hour later than now.

Reopening catering facilities is “the first step towards regaining freedom”, Gulyás said, adding that he hoped faster steps could follow since “a significant amount of vaccine is expected to arrive”.

During the next week one million doses of the Chinese vaccine will be received, as well as 200,000 first doses of the Russian vaccine, Gulyas said, adding that the second dose of the latter would follow in a timely manner.

Over 300,000 doses of Pfizer will also arrive next week, he added.

• The terraces may open soon, but are they ready for the rush?

Extending special order crucial to retain ability for fast action

A government-sponsored bill aimed at extending Hungary’s special legal order, now before parliament, was designed to ensure that the country retains its ability for fast action concerning protection against the coronavirus pandemic.

Gergely Gulyás said that Hungary was implementing “the most successful vaccination programme of the EU”, with the number of vaccinated Hungarians increasing and that of new infections shrinking, but warned that “the epidemic is not over”, which necessitates extension of the current order.

Under the proposal, the special legal order would be extended until a certain date – fifteen days after the start of parliament’s autumn season – with regard to earlier, critical remarks by the opposition, Gulyás said. He added that the government could terminate the special legal order at any time when its powers applicable under such conditions were no longer necessary.