Budapest, Aug 29 (IANS): The Hungarian government has decided to reintroduce border controls that were in force during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, an official said.

Gergely Gulyas, head of the Prime Minister's Office, told reporters on Friday that "from September 1, foreign citizens will be barred from entering Hungary, with a few exceptions", reports Xinhua news agency.

"Hungarian citizens returning from abroad must be quarantined for 14 days or have to present two negative (COVID-19) tests taken two days apart," he added.

The measures are designed to ward off infections from abroad, Gulyas said, adding that the government would also tighten the diplomatic exceptions.

The detailed rules will be decided by an Operational Staff meeting on Saturday.

The measures are expected to remain in force for at least one month.

According to official figures, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Hungary stood at 5,511, with 3,759 recoveries and 614 fatalities.