Poland has introduced tougher quarantine rules for international arrivals, which go into force from tomorrow, 30 March. Under the new measures, announced at a press conference this afternoon by government spokesman Piotr Müller:
Arrivals to Poland from the Schengen area
- People arriving from other countries in the Schengen area must quarantine for 10 days unless they present a negative COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) taken no later than 48 hours before crossing the border
- The new rules apply to all means of transport, including crossing the border by foot
- Travellers required to quarantine in Poland can be released if they take a test and receive a negative result
Arrivals to Poland from outside the Schengen area
- Those arriving from countries outside the Schengen area must quarantine for 10 days upon arrival
- Presenting a negative test from another country does not release them from the obligation to quarantine
- They can be released from quarantine in Poland if they take a test and receive a negative result
Exception for vaccinated
- Arrivals who present a certificate of vaccination against COVID-19 with a vaccine certified for use in the EU are released from the obligation to quarantine
🛂 Modyfikacja zasad kwarantanny granicznej od 30 marca ⤵️
➡️STREFA SCHENGEN – obowiązek posiadania negatywnego testu sprzed max 48h
➡️SPOZA STREFY SCHENGEN – każdy z podróżujących skierowany na kwarantannę
⚠️ Z kwarantanny zwalnia test wykonany w Polsce po przyjeździe. pic.twitter.com/4f3aP4Kbfl
— Kancelaria Premiera (@PremierRP) March 29, 2021
Although not mentioned in the government’s communique, at the press conference Müller announced that transport drivers crossing a Schengen border for work purposes and students crossing for their studies would also be exempted from the requirements, reports TVN24.
Such an exemption previously applied to arrivals from Slovakia and Czechia, and will now be in place for the German and Lithuanian borders, he said.
Separately, Poland’s foreign ministry today issued a travel advisory warning against unnecessary overseas travel due to the increase in coronavirus infections and the appearance of new variants.
Poland is currently experiencing its highest ever infection rates, with an average of over 27,000 new cases per day over the last week. In response, the government has introduced new restrictions, which entered into force on Saturday and remain in place for two weeks.
Main image credit: Ben Queenborough/PinPep (under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
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.
