As Poland experiences record and rapidly growing numbers of coronavirus infections and deaths, the prime minister has declared that, from Saturday, the whole country will be classified as a “yellow zone”.
That means the reintroduction of various restrictions, including the compulsory wearing of masks in outdoor public areas. Face covering had already been obligatory in many indoor spaces.
“The effectiveness of the fight against the coronavirus depends on compliance with these rules,” said Mateusz Morawiecki, the head of government, at a press conference organised after Poland today again recorded its highest ever number of new infections.
Today’s figure of 4,280 new coronavirus cases, announced by the health ministry this morning, was over 40% higher than the previous record of 3,003 set yesterday.
The number of deaths announced today (76), as well as the number of active cases (32,242), hospitalised patients (4,138) and occupied ventilators (296), are all also the highest since the start of the pandemic.
Poland has recorded a big jump in testing numbers over the last two days, with around 44,000 daily, up from around 25,000 before. However, testing rates are still low compared to other EU countries, while the share of positive tests – at almost 10% today – is comparatively high.
At his press conference, Morawiecki emphasised that almost 60% of beds designated for COVID-19 patients remain available, as do the majority of ventilators.
However, as the number of cases has risen rapidly in recent weeks, various hospitals have reported localised – and sometimes regional – shortages of capacity. The health ministry this week pledged to better coordinate resources.
Speaking today, Morawiecki said that, following an early and tough lockdown in the spring, the government has, in rolling back restrictions, “tried to balance the impact that lockdown has on people’s lives with the need to protect health”.
But he warned that Poland must not “waste” the sacrifices it previously made to stem the pandemic by “being too soft” now. As such, the government is classifying the whole country as a “yellow zone”, a designation previously only used for specific areas that had a certain infection rate.
That means a reintroduction of a previous requirement for people to cover their mouth and nose in outdoor public areas, with the exception of parks, forests and beaches.
Further restrictions include: private gatherings being limited to a maximum of 75 people and public gatherings to 150; restaurants having their capacity limited to one customer per 4 square metres; and cinemas only using 25% of seats.
Nosząc maseczkę chronisz siebie i innych❗
➡️ Sprawdź zasady: https://t.co/Vseq61u9on pic.twitter.com/YsEuvTIW3b— Kancelaria Premiera (@PremierRP) October 8, 2020
Existing requirements – such as covering the mouth and nose in shops and public transport – remain in place. The areas with the highest infection rates will also still be classified as “red zones” (with today’s updated list here), meaning even stricter measures, such as restaurants and bars closing at 10 pm.
Yesterday, the health minister and police announced a new “zero tolerance” approach to enforcing regulations, with those in violation subject to on-the-spot fines or, in more serious cases, being referred to court.
Morawiecki today warned that “only through a calm, responsible approach” can “we slow the growth in infections and avoid a second lockdown”.
Main image credit: Krystian Maj/KPRM/Twitter/PremierRP
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
