This week, the Hungarian government announced that the country reached the prerequisite of 5 million people getting at least one dose of the vaccine. “We can say goodbye to our masks,” Prime Minister Viktor Orban in a Facebook post. 

Orban was pleased to say that this will help bring back “our normal, healthy, happy lives”, whilst thanking those who received the vaccination. He continued to encourage those who haven’t received the jab yet to do so. 

Moreover, whilst speaking on Kossuth Radio on Friday, Orban suggested that as a result of such a milestone, a number of other outstanding restrictions will be lifted. The night-time curfew, the closing time of restaurants and shops and the ban on outdoor individual and team sports are expected to be lifted. Vaccination certificates will need to be shown when attending music and dance events. 

Hungary has issued the following information about its vaccine stock: 7.3 million vaccines are in stock or on order from Pfizer, 1.2 million from Moderna, 4 million from Janssen and 4.7 million from Astra-Zeneca.

Orban insisted that in order to ensure more safety, it is constructing a plant in Debrecen that will produce a Hungarian vaccine in the second half of 2022. The PM said, “we can guarantee the safety of all Hungarians for decades.”