Hungary and Slovenia plan to open the border between the two countries, which was closed to curb the spread of COVID-19, by June 1, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th May, 2020) Hungary and Slovenia plan to open the border between the two countries, which was closed to curb the spread of COVID-19, by June 1, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Monday.
The foreign minister, in a post on Facebook, said that reopening the border was a necessary step to aid the economic recovery required after two months of lockdown measures and to ensure the rights of national minorities that live on both sides of the border.
"Taking all this into account, we [Hungary and Slovenia] have begun to develop a gradual lifting of restrictions at the border, with a target date of June 1," the foreign minister wrote.
Szijjarto noted that the mutual trade turnover between Hungary and Slovenia is valued at more than 2.5 billion Euros ($2.71 billion) per year.
From Monday, several lockdown measures have been eased in the Hungarian capital of Budapest. Shops and restaurant terraces have been allowed to reopen, although the wearing of face masks is mandatory for those traveling on public transport and visiting stores.
The Hungarian government on Monday confirmed 26 new cases of the coronavirus disease, raising the overall case total to 3,535.
On Friday, Slovenia became the first European country to declare an end to the coronavirus disease pandemic, and citizens arriving from other European Union countries are no longer required to enter quarantine. On Sunday, one new case of the disease was confirmed in Slovenia, raising the case total to 1,466.
