As the government gives special powers to the authorities to combat the coronavirus pandemic, closing down universities and introducing strict border controls, pro and anti-government think-tanks clash on Facebook over the legitimacy of the ‘special legal order’ declared on Wednesday. READ MORE
A liberal economist thinks closing schools would be a useful step to slow down the spread of an epidemic and thus help the health service cope with the disease. READ MORE
As the number of patients who have tested positive with coronavirus is mounting slowly, an anti-government commentator fears that Hungary’s medical infrastructure is inadequate to cope with a possible outbreak of the epidemic. READ MORE
A pro-government historian welcomes two Austrian newspaper articles whose authors admit that PM Orbán was right five years ago, with his lonely stand among European leaders against mass immigration. READ MORE
A pro-government commentator believes that the idea of reopening the Hungarian language service of Radio Free Europe must have come from the representatives of the ‘deep state’ within the US State Department. READ MORE
A left-wing author doubts that the opposition can reasonably expect the European Union to force the Hungarian government to change course. READ MORE
The left-wing national daily criticises the government for leaving rural doctors without protective masks and disinfectants to prevent the virus from spreading. The main pro-government daily condemns social media platforms for spreading panic. READ MORE
A right-wing columnist castigates the Budapest Mayor for taking what he calls politically motivated decisions against the advice of a professional panel, while a left-wing outlet accuses the government of meddling in theatre nominations. READ MORE
Commenting on the decision of two recently elected Budapest district mayors to leave the Socialist Party and join the Democratic Coalition, a left-wing columnist believes such ‘tug-of-war games’ within the opposition will harm their electoral chances. READ MORE
A former chief sanitary inspector is certain that the first cases of coronavirus in Hungary are only a matter of time. READ MORE