The foreign minister has been authorised to conclude bilateral agreements on the mutual recognition of Covid-19 immunity certificates “with countries that are important to us,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview with public broadcaster Kossuth Rádió. Hungary has already reached such deals with Montenegro and Serbia and talks are under way with other countries, too, he said. Hungarian immunity certificates will be valid everywhere, Orbán said, dismissing reports that those who were inoculated with the Sinopharm jab would be barred from travelling abroad in the summer as “nonsense”.
He said those immune to the coronavirus virus now make up the majority of Hungary’s adult population and the rules should favour them, adding that he saw no issues regarding the constitutionality of such an arrangement. Orbán noted that 65% of those who earlier this year filled out the government’s National Consultation public survey on epidemic-related matters had said that the government’s virus restrictions should distinguish between those with and without immunity certificates.
Asked why sporting events would be allowed once vaccinations reach 4 million while wedding receptions would not, Orbán said it would be “hard to manage” a situation where those who are immune would have to be kept separate from those who are not.
Orbán said he did not know whether the next stage in the easing of restrictions would come when Hungary reaches 4.5 million vaccinations or 5 million. He added that Hungary should be proud that it was the only country in Europe to have more vaccines available than people registered for them. Citing an internal survey, Orbán said 71% of those who sympathise with the government wanted to get vaccinated compared with 59% of left-wing voters. “The left are anti-vaxxers, and this has an effect,” the prime minister said. He urged left-wing voters not to be influenced by the left’s “anti-vax campaign”, saying that vaccination was a national issue.
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