Christmas shopping in danger in Hungary?

Erzsébet Pusztai, a Hungarian infectologist, said that the measures already in effect, like the shopping hours offered for the elderly or the night curfew from 8 pm to 5 am, can be enough to stop the spread of the virus. However, the government should increase the testing capacities and allocate more support to the preparation of GPs.

According to Index, she also said that free parking does not help the issue at all. Ms Pusztai highlighted that keeping a balance between the COVID-19 measures and the economy is significant. Therefore, people should follow the rules.

She also added that it would not be fortunate if people flooded the markets and the stores before Christmas, even if they are not old. Therefore,

she would introduce a headcount limit to avoid huge crowds in the malls.

That is because, above a critical number, even face masks cannot protect the people, and even one COVID-19-positive person is enough to infect everybody in the shop. Ms Pusztai reminded everybody that face masks are effective only combined with keeping a distance from each other. The infectologist said that people should order most presents online and added that families might

celebrate happily even with fewer gifts.

She urged quick, easy, and free testing. She said that one of the biggest problems is that GPs wait days until they order a test hoping that the symptoms will go away. However, in the case of the coronavirus, such delays can cost lives.

She said that the daily reports about the number of COVID-19-positive people cannot be trusted because the healthcare system is in a 1-2-week delay regarding the testing and the evaluation of the samples.

People keep saying and writing that they wait one week for the test and days for the result.

Therefore, it happens that they work even though they already have symptoms. Ms Pusztai added that there are some testing points, but the government should establish more where people do not have to get out of their cars. That is because the ambulance service cannot satisfy needs exceeding 12 thousand tests per day.

A lot depends on the GPs because if they recognise the infection in time, they can save the lives of the patients. Therefore, the government should provide help and advice for them about what they can do in the early phases of the illness. As a result, fewer would go to the hospital.

Hungary is currently the 39th most infected country in the world and the 17th in Europe.

The number of people who already caught the virus exceeds 192 thousand, and 4,229 of them died from it.

Source: index.hu