Hungary shuts secondary schools, tightens COVID-19 curbs in policy shift

  • 11/9/2020
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BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary will shut secondary schools and tighten coronavirus curbs from midnight Tuesday, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said, in a shift away from his policy of avoiding tough restrictions to protect the economy.The premier, who is facing elections in 2022, had resisted calls from doctors and opposition politicians for more shutdowns as the second wave of the pandemic hit. But after a meeting of the government’s coronavirus task force on Monday, Orban said Hungary would also close universities and restaurants, limit gatherings, hold sports events behind closed doors and extend a night-time curfew. “If coronavirus infections rise at the current pace ... Hungarian hospitals will not be able to cope with the burden,” Orban said in a video posted on his Facebook page. The government reported 5,162 new cases and 55 new deaths on Monday, bringing the total to 114,778 infections and 2,493 fatalities.

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