BUDAPEST, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Hungary is closing its borders to all personal travel with the exception of nationals returning to the country, Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced here on Monday.
"International coordination talks on the closure are under way," Orban said in Parliament.
All events in Hungary will be banned starting 12:00 midnight on Monday, said the prime minister. Sporting events must be held behind closed doors or canceled.
Nightclubs, cinemas and cultural institutions will have to remain closed, and restaurants, cafes and shops will have to close at 3 pm daily, with the exception of food stores, pharmacies and drug stores.
"So far, Hungary has been in the first phase of the epidemic, in the stage of individual cases, but in the next few days it will move to the next stage, of whole groups becoming sick," Orban underlined.
"Whatever the danger, the greatest chance we have is to stand together, and this is what we need to do now," he said, calling on the public to cooperate.
According to the Hungarian government's updated statistics, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases stood at 39 on Monday, with one reported recovery, one fatality, and 136 people in quarantine.
