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Hungary Covid-19 Cases Hit Record as Orban Avoids Tighter Steps

Hungary Covid-19 Cases Hit Record as Orban Avoids Tighter Steps

Hungary reported record coronavirus cases and deaths as Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced tightening measures that fell short of those taken by many European peers even as the nation’s health-care system is on the brink of exhaustion.

The country had 4,219 new cases and 90 deaths on Tuesday, logging the third-highest number of deaths per capita in the European Union. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who’s on an official trip to Thailand, tested positive for the coronavirus in Bangkok, the second cabinet member to do so.

Orban announced a set of tightening measures including a return to a state of emergency, a curfew and limiting attendance at sport and cultural events.

Hungarian hospitals are on track to reach their capacity by mid-December, he said on Tuesday, a climb-down from an earlier assurance that the health-care system could deal with hundreds of thousands of coronavirus patients.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.