After months of passivity, three weeks ago the Orbán administration decided to reintroduce mandatory mask-wearing on public transport from November 1st. Health experts had been asking the government to do so for a long time. Health experts have also been asking the government to make mask-wearing compulsory in crowded places, among other measures. However, for months, the Orbán government was against introducing even soft measures to fight Covid.
According to their reasoning, only vaccination can help and save lives, while mask-wearing, maintaining ample distance and other measures have little to no effect on the pandemic. Every expert agreed that vaccination is essential- however, they all said it is not enough since many in the country are still unvaccinated (Hungary has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the EU), and even vaccinated people can be infected, get sick, and spread the virus.
Now, the Orbán government has again made mask-wearing mandatory in enclosed spaces.