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| - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban dismissed Friday criticism from Brussels over the EU member's selective closure of its borders to foreigners following a spike in coronavirus infection cases. The entry ban, due to remain in place for at least a month, exempts the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia - countries of the so-called Visegrad group that often align on EU policy, especially on migration. Hungary -- which is often in Brussels' crosshairs -- says the border closure, announced suddenly last week and in force since Tuesday, seeks to end the import of the pandemic from abroad. "They (in Brussels) can say whatever they want, but, with all modesty, we will see them follow our policies in a few days," Orban said during an interview on public media. "Without implementing the Hungarian practice, they will not stand a chance of stopping the epidemic," said Orban. Top EU officials prefer a bloc-wide approach to travel restrictions and have formally addressed Budapest over the exemption, warning that discriminating among member states was a violation of the rules governing the EU's passport-free Schengen area. Hitting back, Orban said Friday that "Brussels bureaucrats have to understand that there is a very close epidemiological cooperation between these four (Visegrad) countries". The Hungarian closures have caused traffic tailbacks at the country's borders, while local media have reported some cases of police ignoring the new rules and letting through non-national passengers. Hungary's population of almost 10 million has been lightly affected by the coronavirus outbreak in comparison with other parts of Europe, reporting on Friday a total of 7,382 infections and 621 deaths. But since late August new infection numbers have spiked, with a daily record of 459 registered Friday. pmu/jsk/tgb
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