People cool off on a beach after the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in Balatonlelle, Hungary, July 10, 2020. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)
"Border control must therefore be tightened, from Tuesday midnight countries will be categorized into three categories -- red, yellow and green -- based on their rate of new coronavirus infections," said Gergely Gulyas, head of the Prime Minister's Office.
BUDAPEST, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Hungary will impose new restrictions on cross-border travel next week in order to prevent the coronavirus from being imported from abroad after a surge in new cases in several countries, the government said Sunday.
"Hungary is today among the safest countries in Europe," Gergely Gulyas, head of the Prime Minister's Office, said at a press conference. But given new outbreaks around the world, the government is putting the health and safety of Hungarians foremost and is doing everything possible to prevent the virus's return, he said.
"Border control must therefore be tightened, from Tuesday midnight countries will be categorized into three categories -- red, yellow and green -- based on their rate of new coronavirus infections," Gulyas said, adding that the list would be periodically revised.
An employee wearing a face mask and gloves works at a Cinema City movie theatre in Budapest, Hungary, July 2, 2020. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)
Foreigners from countries in the red category are banned from entering, while Hungarian citizens arriving from those countries will have to quarantine for two weeks or until they test negative twice, 48 hours apart.
Both Hungarians and foreigners arriving from countries in the yellow category -- which includes, among others, Serbia, Bulgaria, Portugal and Romania, will have to quarantine for two weeks but will be allowed out if they test negative twice, 48 hours apart.
Countries in the green category can continue to enter without restrictions. Croatia, which is one of the main summer destinations of Hungarians, is free of restrictions for the time being. ■
