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The government is rewriting the Hungarian border closure regulation, which came into effect on September 1, at several important points, according to a government decree published Friday.
- An employee of a Hungarian cultural institution, if entering the territory of Hungary as a performer or technical staff after attending a cultural event held abroad, is subject to the same treatment as a Hungarian citizen. That is, they can also enter the country, subject to only 14 days of quarantine, which can be triggered by two PCR tests.
- Until now, the Hungarian authorities can only accept PCR tests performed in Hungary. Now this also changes in the direction of facilitation: “an exam conducted in a Schengen country, the United States of America or Canada must also be taken into account and the result certified by the corresponding document in Hungarian or English”.
- A separate rule now applies to “business or business travel”. According to this, “if the purpose of the departure from Hungary is an activity for commercial or economic purposes, the fact that the Hungarian citizen proves upon his return to Hungary, the Hungarian citizen can enter the territory of Hungary without restrictions after the departure”. If there is any doubt about the verification, the usual entry rules (screening, quarantine, PCR test) should be applied.
- If the entry into Hungary is a commercial or economic activity, the fact of which is proved by a non-Hungarian citizen when entering the territory of Hungary, he can enter the territory of Hungary without restrictions – the decree also establishes.
- An interpreter of a cultural event held in Hungary, a member of their technical staff can enter Hungary within the previous 3 days, with a PCR test performed once.
An important point of the government decree cited by Viktor Orbán is that it enters into force the day after its promulgation, that is, it facilitates border crossing in many aspects. the rules must apply from Saturday.
As we assessed when the decision was published Friday night: The current changes respond to key criticisms of the border closure. Business trips are a great facilitation for both Hungarians and foreigners. In light of the regulation and given Tuesday’s incomplete control practice, it could easily be that in practice many people can enter the country as if there were no border lock.
It can also be inferred from the text of the recent regulation that those who expected the tightening of epidemiological rules should have been disappointed by the spectacular increase in the epidemic. The government doesn’t seem to feel like it’s time for that yet. Instead, the government is trying to set an example by responding to the increasingly dire situation.
Top image: A crowded line of cars on the Austro-Hungarian border near Nickelsdorf at dawn on September 1, 2020. According to restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus epidemic, as of today, foreign nationals will not be able to enter the territory of Hungary, and Hungarian citizens returning from abroad, as a rule, will be quarantined for 14 days. Cross-border travelers can spend up to 24 hours in the other country’s 30-kilometer border zone, and special rules apply to affiliated business travelers. Source: MTI / EPA / Christian Bruna
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