Hungary to remove most Covid restrictions

Budapest, March 4 (IANS) Hungary will remove the majority of its restrictions introduced against the COVID-19 pandemic, Gergely Gulyas, the head of the Prime Minister's Office said on Thursday."The obligation to wear a mask will end next Monday," said Gulyas, adding that the wearing of masks will stay obligatory in social and health care institutions, Xinhua news agency reported.He said that the government decided to remove the measures because the fifth wave of the pandemic was coming to an end.The government also revoked the rule that allowed employers to make vaccination against the coronavirus compulsory, the minister added. The regulations concerning the vaccination certificate will also be canceled.The government will maintain the "health emergency situation" in Hungary for fear of the risk of a possible sixth wave.On Thursday, the country registered 3,862 new COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour span, raising the national total to 1,796,982, according to official data.In the past 24 hours, 77 people died from the disease, taking the cumulative death toll to 44,211 in the country. Currently, 3,120 patients are being treated in hospitals, including 126 on ventilators, the government's website said.As of Thursday, 6,395,509 people had received at least the first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.
--IANS int/pgh

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