Hungary has prolonged a nationwide lockdown indefinitely to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on his Facebook page on Thursday, asking citizens to observe the order despite the Easter holiday.

Hungary has officially recorded 980 confirmed cases and 66 deaths in the pandemic, although the government has acknowledged the number of actual cases is probably much higher as the country nears the phase of mass infections.

More than 100 people are suffering from the novel coronavirus at a home for the elderly in Budapest, the country's chief medical officer said on Thursday. Five older people have died of Covid-19, the sometimes deadly lung disease caused by the virus, Cecilia Mueller said in Budapest. Those infected include residents and carers working at the home, she noted, without providing further details. There are 500 people living in the nursing home, many of whom suffer from pre-existing health conditions, according to reports in the media in the past.