Opposition parties reacted to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s announcement on Thursday that the restrictive measures in connection with the novel coronavirus epidemic will be prolonged indefinitely.

György László Lukács of the nationalist Jobbik party said on Facebook that Orbán’s statement had been a disappointment, since the issue at hand was not whether restrictions should be prolonged but whether they should be tightened. He said restrictions should be draconian in order to curb the epidemic and ease pressure on the health service.

Socialist leader Bertalan Tóth said in a statement that Orbán should not have insisted on assuming unlimited powers for an indefinite period of time only then to delegate decision-making “on life-and-death issues” to mayors he had attempted to strip their powers of only a week ago. The mayors, he added, were sure to make responsible decisions in everyone’s best interests.

Lóránt László Keresztes, LMP’s parliamentary group leader, said on Facebook that his party backed Orbán’s decision, and LMP also agreed with handing mayors extra powers to impose further restrictions based on local needs. But in order for mayors to make informed decisions, he added, they would need additional information and data.

Featured photo by Tamás Kovács/MTI