The European Commission has called on six EU member states, including Hungary, to immediately lift border restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus epidemic, as they violate the free migration of EU citizens, Euronews reports.
In addition to the Hungarian government, the Belgian, Danish, Finnish, German and Swedish cabinets are expected to respond in Brussels within 10 days. Germany is also being criticized for only allowing Germans and permanent residents of Germany from Tirol in Austria and the Czech Republic to enter its country. In its border area with France, however, Germany is still allowing people to commute.
The epidemic situation, meanwhile, is deteriorating in several regions of the continent. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, hospital overcrowding is imminent. In Hungary, there are more and more new cases registered every day; the number of fatalities due to the epidemic is also rising, although the change here is not yet significant. Still, due to this negative trend, Hungary has become one of the dangerous countries in terms of coronavirus risk.
In France, daily data is creeping up again as well, while the number of severe cases peaked at a 12-week high on Tuesday. Nearly 3,500 coronavirus patients are in ICU. The French government is trying to stop the spread of mutant strains of the virus with local curfews. However, despite the urging of experts, it wants to avoid another nationwide quarantine.
Next week, the reopening in the British Isles will begin, but a number of restrictions are to remain in place despite a highly effective vaccination campaign. Here, schools and other childcare facilities will begin to reopen; some students in Ireland will be able to go back to school as early as next week; in England, just a week later. The same is true in the Netherlands, despite recent epidemic maps showing the country as a red zone. However, the night curfew, which provoked fierce protests, remains in place.
Title image: The Hungarian-Austrian border crossing point at Hegyeshalom.
