Hungary says broad reopening may come in late May, June

FILE PHOTO: People wearing protective face masks walk in downtown Budapest, after Hungarian government imposed a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Hungary, November 11, 2020. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary may hold off from broad reopening measures until half of its population is vaccinated, the minister responsible for healthcare said late on Sunday, flagging the possibility of a longer lockdown as the country grapples with record COVID-19 infections.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who faces an election in 2022, is balancing the world's highest daily per capita coronavirus death rates, according to Johns Hopkins University, with a need to reopen the economy to avoid a second year of deep recession.