BUDAPEST, June 19 (Xinhua) -- The Hungarian government will not hesitate to take the necessary legal and economic steps in order to save people's lives if the coronavirus epidemic returns, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told Kossuth Radio on Friday.
"We are prepared for a second wave of the epidemic. We will not hesitate to take the necessary legal and economic steps in order to save people's lives if the epidemic does return," Orban said in his first interview after lifting the state of emergency.
The successful fight against the coronavirus epidemic in Hungary has saved the lives of tens of thousands of people, which is a great achievement, the prime minister underlined.
He attributed Hungary's successful handling of the epidemic to discipline and unity, saying that these practices would be needed again in the event of a second wave.
A "state of epidemiological preparedness" was introduced in Hungary on Thursday to replace the state of emergency that was declared on March 11 to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak.
According to official figures, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Hungary stood at 4,081 on Friday, with 2,581 recoveries and 568 fatalities. Enditem
