Analysis
Politics
Hungary at a Crossroads: Economic Turmoil, Internal Dissent and the Rise of Péter Magyar – QUICK TAKE
2 October 2024
Amidst an overall successful crisis response, the Estonian government has accelerated pet projects that prop up fossil fuels, hurt immigrants, and undermine civil society.
Estonia’s response to the COVID-19 crisis has been remarkably successful. The government declared a state of emergency on 12 March, closing down schools, youth centres, cinemas, museums, banning visits to care homes and prisons, and limiting recreational travel. This was roughly in line with other CEE countries and predating similar orders in France, the UK, Portugal and others.
Today, it seems like the first wave of the epidemic is under control. Even considering one massive outbreak on the island of Saaremaa, following a volleyball match with a team from Milan, the number of hospitalisations and deaths has remained much lower than, for instance, in neighbouring Sweden.
The number of hospitalisations has been in decline since 13 April and the country is preparing to relax some of the lockdown measures.