Hungary to Allow Firms to Mandate Covid Vaccine as Cases Surge

(Bloomberg) -- Grappling with surging coronavirus cases and a stalled vaccination program, Hungary allowed companies to force staff to get a Covid-19 vaccine as a condition of employment.

The government will also demand that public-sector workers receive a shot, while compulsory mask-wearing will be re-introduced on public transport from next week, Cabinet Minister Gergely Gulyas told a briefing Thursday.

The eastern European country of 10 million people has administered at least one vaccine dose to 69% of adults, compared with an average of 80% across the European Union, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. 

Daily new Covid-19 cases surged to 4,039 on Wednesday -- the most since April and marking an almost fivefold increase in the past three weeks. Forty-five new deaths were attributed to the disease -- about a fifth of the level seen in the spring during a similar level of new infections.

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