Hungary plans to start reopening in days as vaccine milestone in sight

BUDAPEST - Hungary will begin gradual easing of coronavirus restrictions within days, the government said on Monday, as it expects to have 25% of its population of 10 million inoculated by Tuesday or early Wednesday at the latest.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who faces an election in a year, is walking a tightrope between a lockdown to tame the world's deadliest COVID-19 surge and the need to reopen the economy to avoid a second year of deep recession. The central European country reported record coronavirus fatalities last week and doctors described hospitals filling beyond capacity, signalling the government may be forced to postpone a reopening.