HUNGARY TO LIFT COVID BORDER CLOSURES ON JUNE 24

Hungary is set to lift border controls it put into place last year as it sought to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, its foreign minister said in comments on Wednesday while speaking to ethnic Hungarian groups in Slovakia, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

The border closures are set to be lifted on June 24, said Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, so long as the pandemic doesn't take "an unexpected turn" by then. The closures have blocked a lot of traffic into and from Austria, Slovakia and Slovenia since September 1, though there are exceptions for business trips and commuters.

However, it's not clear if the rules change will make leisure or tourism visits to Hungary possible. At the moment, Hungary only allows entry to people who reside in countries in which Covid-19 vaccinations in either country are recognized equally by both.

Similarly, overnighting in a hotel or inn in Hungary requires the guest to have a recognized vaccination certificate. At the moment, Hungary recognizes those from Slovakia and Slovenia, for example, but not from Austria and Germany.

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