“We need to pay attention to saving as many jobs as possible and creating as many new jobs as possible,” said Sándor Bodó, State Secretary for Employment at the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, at today’s press conference of the Operational Group. He added that in the past two weeks, more than 2,700 companies have applied to the government’s wage subsidy program, most of them from rural areas, saving more than 95,000 jobs in Hungary.
Most of the applications arrived from tourism, manufacturing and vehicle repair sectors, but “we have also been able to help 8,700 people working in research and development,” the state secretary reported.
Bodó also announced that “as the number of registered job seekers had increased by 50,000 at the end of April, a new program was also launched with a total budget of HUF 80 billion,” which will be able to save around another 70,000 jobs.
Meanwhile, Cecília Müller, Hungary’s chief medical officer, reported that “the number of active cases now stands at 1,677,” adding that “of these, 756 people are in Budapest, and a similar proportion of the 1,412 people who have recovered are in the capital.”
Although movement restrictions were partially lifted in Budapest, Müller emphasized that the epidemic is not over yet. “The data is extremely favorable, but we need to remain vigilant; we cannot yet mark the end of the epidemic,” she said.
Lieutenant Colonel of the Police Róbert Kiss announced that more changes are coming at the borders. “From May 21, it will be possible to travel to Slovakia for less than 24 hours without going into compulsory home quarantine afterward. And you will be able to enter Croatia, not only as a property owner but also for a reasonable personal matter, such as travel with proof of booked accommodation,” he said.