Prime Minister Viktor Orban says Hungary will reach a vaccination rate of 40 percent by the middle of next week -- a turning point that would allow it to reopen the services sector to a great extent.
Orban, who faces a contested election next year, told state radio on April 23 that starting from next week, holders of vaccination cards will be able to go to hotels, indoor restaurants, theaters, cinemas, gyms, sports events, public baths and other places.
Hungary, whose economy has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic, began gradually reopening shops and services earlier this month after inoculating a quarter of its population in a move that the Hungarian Medical Chamber called premature.
Despite a relatively successful vaccination campaign, Hungary has wrestled with a high infection and fatality rate until recently. The Central European country of 9.8 million has registered almost 761,000 infections and 26,000 deaths.
