“We will start reintroducing 13th month pensions early next year,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a video on Facebook on Thursday on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons. Orban spoke after a meeting of the council for elderly affairs, which had been dedicated to the planned reintroduction in light of the coronavirus epidemic, Hungary Today reported.

I gave a clear and straightforward answer on behalf of the government and the finance minister: we will start reintegrating 13th month pensions into the system at the beginning of next year irrespective of the pandemic, Orban said in his video message.

The prime minister warned that the coming months could be difficult for the elderly because “voters have decided that we should not shut the country down in the autumn and should keep institutions, schools, workplaces, sports facilities, theatres, and forums like the elderly council in operation”.

Orban warned that everybody should observe the rules of prevention because “unless we are careful and pay attention to each other we could lose many lives that otherwise could be saved”.