This time in our article, we would like to shed light on the Hungary regulations effective as of 8 March 2021.

Please be aware that previous protective measures remain in place. These new restrictions are part of the Hungary regulations for March 2021, and apply outside the curfew period (i.e. between 5 AM and 8 PM).

Please note, though, that regulations are not applicable to public health providers and wholesale activities.

Social contacts in public areas and places open to the public must be restricted to the possible narrowest circle, 1.5 m distance must be kept (except for members of the same household).

Continuous wearing of masks covering the nose and mouth is obligatory within city limits of settlements, on streets and in public areas. (People exempt from the mask mandate: minors under six, persons suffering from mental, psychosocial disability or autism spectrum disorder.

Personal leisure sporting activities may be conducted within and outside of city limits, possibly in green areas, alone or in the company of members of the same household, keeping a distance of 1.5 m. During personal sporting activities a mask does not need to be worn. Parks and public gardens are open.

There has been uncertainty about what shops can remain open; please find the list below:

• shops selling daily consumer food products,
• shops selling other daily consumer goods (especially shops selling perfume products, drugstore products, household cleaning products, chemicals and hygienic paper products),
• shops selling essential devices and materials for performance of work, official obligations, economic, agricultural and forestry activities (especially shops selling vehicles, machinery, parts, building materials and devices), excluding shops selling consumer electronics devices as their main activity
• shops selling animal food
• agricultural shops, including shops selling fertilizers and slaughterhouses
• gardening shops and nursery gardens
• markets and local farmers’ markets, except for shops otherwise required to close
• shops selling medications, medical devices, optical and vision devices, and animal pharmacies
• petrol stations
• national tobacco shops
• newsstands

Shops not listed above are obliged to close, and the operator or manager of the shop is obliged to ensure the observation of the restrictions.

Staying in restaurants is allowed for the time and purpose of receiving and transporting foods suitable for takeout, according to the already existing regulations.

Premises requiring personal presence for providing services must close, except for premises offering the below services:

• financial services
• traffic and transport services
• private healthcare services, including preparation of glasses
• social services
• postal, parcel and home delivery services
• lottery and sports bets services
• vehicle repair services, agricultural and industrial machinery repair services, household machinery repair services, building engineering services,
• services for the repair of information technology and communication devices
• funeral services
• animal health services
• animal, plant and food health laboratory services
• food processing services,
• public catering services ,
• animal husbandry services
• legal services
• security services
• building operation and office services
• vehicle and machinery rental services
• washing and cleaning services

Casinos, hotels, sporting facilities cannot be attended, visiting and staying at casinos and card game halls is forbidden (except for their employees). For stays at hotels the already existing restrictions are applicable, i.e., for business purposes only.

Ice rinks, swimming pools, gyms and fitness rooms, and sporting facilities may be visited according to already existing restrictions for competitive sportspeople for the purposes of training and competitions.

Sanctions

Compliance with the restrictions is monitored jointly by the police and the army. Premises not following the set regulations may be asked to pay a fine between HUF 100,000 and HUF 1,000,000, and can be imposed repeatedly or even closed down for up to one year.

These sanctions can be applied jointly and repeatedly.

The sanctions may not be applied if the operator or manager of the premises carried out all necessary measures to terminate an illegal situation, especially by instructing the person committing a breach to leave, or notifying police if the person does not leave upon instruction.

No appeal is available against the fines.

Failure to comply with restrictions is also a misdemeanor, to be sanctioned with fines between HUF 5,000 and HUF 500,000, with on-site fines ranging from HUF 5,000 to HUF 100,000 or HUF 200,000 in cease of repeated offences. 

• Further to the above, there are restrictions in public education as well, schools operate in a digital schedule, kindergartens are closed for an extraordinary holiday.
• Student hostels operate according to the decision of the director of the education institution.
• Adult education is conducted digitally in remote education. Exams cannot be conducted.
• Professional legal exams are conducted according to the relevant decree of the Ministry of Justice.
• Employees in public administration perform their work remotely at their homes or places of residence, with their own devices.

Work at the regular workplace might be ordered for those participating in the defense against the pandemic and where the type of work does not allow the performance of work at home.

Orders for remaining at the workplace are communicated verbally.

The government requests private actors to prefer the application of home office measures during their business activities.

Border control, extension of restrictions—please read our other article about the restrictions here.

Regulations are valid at least until 22^nd March 2021, and school closings until 7^th April 2021.

At the same time, the effect of the regulations is extended automatically until the end of the emergency regime or until 23^rd May 2021.

Border control and the effect of already existing restrictions are prolonged until 22^nd March 2021.

Under the current pandemic emergency regulations, the second tier of protective measures in Hungary includes stricter limitations for both individuals and businesses.

This article provides a clear overview of what these measures mean in practice.

1. Reinforcement of the mask mandate

• Every person over the age of six must wear a mask:

• on public transport
• in any public area of settlements with a population over 10,000 where the local government prescribes as such, with the exception of sports activities and parks. At this time, local governments known to have introduced such measures already include Budapest’s 11^th, 18^th, 19^th, 20th, and 21^st districts; please watch for information from local governments for further information.
• while working or shopping in shops
• in shopping malls (except for offices, sporting facilities, and utility premises)
• in public archives open to the public
• at office hours of government agencies, post offices, and any other premises where customer services are provided and regularly more than 5 people are present
• waiting rooms of public transport
• in restaurants, either while working or as guests
• in healthcare institutions (except for patients in their ward rooms)
• in social institutions
• Masks must cover the nose and mouth, and should be surgical, labour safety or textile (or other fabric) masks.
• Operators of such institutions, services, premises must ensure the enforcement of these rules. Customers not properly wearing masks must be denied service and made to leave the premises.
• For transportation companies: passengers must be denied transport if they are not properly wearing masks, at the same time they must be removed from the vehicle and the police should be notified immediately.

2. Curfew

Everybody is obliged to remain at their place of residence, stay or commercial accommodation from 8 PM to 5 AM

• Exceptions:

• performing work,
• transferring to place of work,
• transferring from work to place of residence/stay/accommodation
• In case of emergency threatening life, or threatening with harm to health or severe injury
• protection of life
• competitive athletes going to or coming from training or sporting events, or participating in a training or sporting event
• walking dogs within a 500m perimeter of the dwelling place
• Exceptions not related to health/emergency and dog walking must be supported by documents based on the form published by the Government. Without possession of such a document, it is not allowed to leave the place of residence/stay/accommodation even for the reasons falling under an exception.
• Assembly and forming of groups in public areas is forbidden.

3. Conduct in public places

• Sporting activities for personal leisure in public places and public sporting venues are allowed, especially walking, running and cycling.
• Team sports, such as especially football, ice hockey, handball, basketball, and volleyball, are not allowed in public areas, open places, and sporting venues, except for training and sporting events in professional competitive sports.

4. Events and gatherings

Events and group gatherings (such as music, cultural, sporting, private events, and Christmas fairs) are banned, with the following exceptions:

• Religious events do not fall under the ban (except for weddings and funerals). Religious communities themselves may decide about their own events.
• Live music or cultural events provided online do not fall under the banned events if only the performers and technical personnel are present at the premises.
• Sporting events must be held behind closed doors. Spectators are not allowed.
• Funerals can be held with participants of 50 people maximum.
• Weddings can be held with the participation of the performer of the service, the marrying parties, their witnesses, parents, grandparents, siblings, and children.
• Operators of such venues are responsible for observing the regulations.

5. Regulations for restaurants

• Except for those working there and the cases listed below, it is forbidden to be present in restaurants.
• Being present in a restaurant is allowed for the time of receiving food purchased for takeout or delivery.
• Restrictions do not apply
• to workplace canteens and buffets
• bars and restaurants of hotels if they only serve guests of the hotel
• canteens and buffets of public education institutions if they only serve students and employees of the institution
• canteens and buffets in public health institutions

6. Regulations related to shops

• Between 7 PM and 5 AM

• shops
• national tobacco shops
• lottery shops
  • must be closed and it is not allowed to be present there
• petrol stations
• pharmacies
  • may be open
• With respect to this ban, restaurants are not considered shops.

7. Regulations for commercial accommodation

• No stay is allowed in commercial accommodations (hotels), with the following exceptions
• Employees may be present in hotels
• Persons may be present in hotels arriving for purposes of business, economic or educational activities
• Military personnel and assigned healthcare personnel may be present in hotels.

8. Regulations on leisure institutions

• Visiting and staying at the following events and locations is forbidden:

• events for the performing arts (theatre, dance, music, circus)
• cinemas
• training rooms and gyms
• pools
• public baths
• skating rinks
• zoos, game parks
• adventure parks and funfairs
• playhouses
• museums
• libraries
• film and music archives
• public cultural venues
• integrated cultural institutions

• Exceptions:

• employees working at such institutions
• skating rinks, pools, training rooms, gyms and sports facilities may be visited by competitive athletes
• Such venues in hotels must be kept closed.

For further information, please contact us at the following
Phone number: +36 1 278 5680
Email address: [email protected]
or contact your local Inter Relocation consultant.