From 28 March 2020, a soft curfew is in effect in Hungary which has been extended for an unlimited period. We may only leave our homes, places of residence or temporary residences with overriding reason described in the regulation. Between 9 and 12 AM only consumers above the age 65, outside that period only citizens under 65 may be present in grocery stores and pharmacies.
As a general rule the decree says that everybody shall keep at least 1.5 m distance from each other – excluding members of the respective household – especially on public transport vehicles. Customers may only be present in restaurants when picking up delivery or ordering for takeaway.
The decree lists all overriding reasons in which case we may leave our homes. Most important is work including any economical, agricultural and forestry activities as well as purchasing goods and equipment necessary for the above work. In our view, the basic operation of companies is not affected by this soft curfew because transport and purchase necessary for their operation is qualified as overriding reason.
Private purchases are, however, restricted to grocery stores, drug stores, pet stores, agricultural stores, markets, pharmacies, gas stations or tobacco stores. Grocery stores, drug stores, pharmacies and markets may only be visited in a certain period of the day: citizens above age 65 are only allowed between 9 and 12 AM, citizens under 65 are only allowed outside that period.
The following activities are also amongst the exceptions: taking children to day care, health and mental health services, marriage and funeral, visiting a hairdresser, delivery, cleaning and hygienic services, visiting car- and bike mechanics, and the most necessary personal administration for example in banks, post office or state offices.
Following the query of the Hungarian Bar Association, the Ministry of Justice confirmed that the latter includes any necessary personal meetings with a lawyer, such as making a will, concluding contracts requiring attorney countersignature, making time-limited legal statements, or soliciting legal matters. However, our firm is well-prepared to counter-sign documents remotely, as per the communication provided by the Hungarian Bar Association.
Except for the travel required for the above-mentioned administration, only private leisure sports activities and recreational pedestrian traffic may be carried out in the outskirts, at a distance of at least one and a half meters.
Compliance with these restrictions is the responsibility of the facility operator, which is controlled by the police and the military. Breach of the restrictions constitutes an infringement, whereby the police may, subject to the requirements of necessity and proportionality, take action, apply coercive measures and impose fines ranging from 5,000 to 500,000 HUF.
It is important to note that the government decree does not impose any documentation requirement for the proof of destination, but we do recommend that employers provide their employees with a proof of their place of employment and all their business trips, and we recommend that everyone keep their residence card or lease agreement at hand.