Hungary to ease lockdown despite COVID-19 surge

Hungary will start easing lockdown restrictions on Wednesday after inoculating more than a quarter of its population with at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Tuesday.

The decision comes as Hungary faces a devastating surge in the COVID-19 pandemic.

It has one of the highest infection rates in Europe in recent weeks and the third-worst death rate per 1 million inhabitants in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In a video posted on Facebook, Orban said the country reached the benchmark of 2.5 million first injections, a condition for the start of a gradual reopening.

"Today, we reached an important milestone,'' Orban said.

"The virus waged a war against us, and the only weapon that promises victory is the vaccine."

Starting Wednesday, businesses and services that have been closed since March 8 will be allowed to reopen, provided capacity limits are enforced and social distancing is observed.

The mandatory closing time for shops will be extended from 7 pm to 9:30 pm.

The start of an overnight curfew in place since November will be extended by two hours to 10 pm

Hungary, with a population of less than 10 million, has the second-highest vaccination rate in the EU.

The country's procurement strategy sought shots from China and Russia, in addition to the jabs approved by the bloc's regulator.