A Polish town has decided to introduce a local lockdown – tougher than the one put in place nationally by the government – in response to a rise in coronavirus infections.
Grodzisk Mazowiecki, a town of 27,000 residents near to Warsaw, has ordered swimming pools, playgrounds, sports facilities, cinemas and libraries to close.
“We came to the conclusion that we need to stop the transmission of the virus, which undoubtedly takes place via young people through these kinds of activities, for at least eight to ten days,” the town’s mayor, Grzegorz Benedykciński, told Polsat News.
Poland today recorded its highest daily number of new Covid cases (17,260) since November, continuing a recent upward trend.
Chart via: https://t.co/rcwrYO5y62 pic.twitter.com/0ahmtMRCMx
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) March 10, 2021
COVID-19 cases have been increasing across Poland. The country today recorded its highest daily number of new infections, 17,260, since November.
The number of people hospitalised with COVID-19, 18,378, is the highest since late December and moving towards the peak of 23,033 recorded at the height of the second wave in November.
In response, the government has reintroduced restrictions in two provinces with the highest infection rates, Pomerania and Warmia-Masuria, requiring hotels, cinemas and shopping centres to close.
Elsewhere, the current rules remain in place until 28 March.
Regionalised restrictions were introduced last week for the provinces with the highest infection rates
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Grodzisk Mazowiecki, which is in the Masovia Province, is not affected by these new restrictions. However, Benedykciński notes that its infection rate is now the second highest among all counties in the country.
Grodzisk County has recently been reporting the equivalent of 112 new cases per 100,000 people, reports Radio Zet. The figure in Warmia-Masuria Province was 40 per 100,000 when additional restrictions were introduced.
With cases rising, the town decided to close its cultural centre on 5 March. That has now been followed by further local restrictions. “Kids, I’m very sorry, but saving even one life is priceless,” said Benedykciński to the town’s youngsters, who will be hardest hit by the closures.
Towards the end of the local lockdown the situation will be reassessed. If it has not worked, “we have to look for other solutions,” the mayor said.
Main image credit: Jan Stradowski/Wikimedia Commons (under CC BY 3.0)
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.
