Poland extends current Covid restrictions to 18 April

Poland’s current coronavirus restrictions, which were introduced last month and were due to expire this Friday, will be extended until 18 April, the health minister, Adam Niedzielski, announced today.

“We have been analysing the situation on an ongoing basis, particularly in the context of what is going on in hospitals,” said Niedzielski, quoted by Onet. “The current results, which give some hope, are still too weak a signal to treat them optimistically.”

From mid-February, Poland experienced a rapid rise in coronavirus infections, culminating in it last week having the third highest rate in the world. The daily figures for new cases have begun to fall since the the start of the Easter weekend, but the number of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 and on ventilators is still rising.

Under restrictions that were initially introduced on 20 March and then further tightened a week later, schools, preschools and nurseries are closed, as are hotels, cultural institutions, sport and leisure facilities, many non-essential shops and businesses, such as hairdressers and beauty salons.

Tighter limits on the number of people allowed into shops and to attend religious services have also been imposed, while the requirement for people to cover their mouth and nose in both indoor and outdoor public spaces remains in place.

Niedzielski said today that it is still too early to judge the effects of the measures – despite some encouraging signs – and that they will therefore continue to be binding.

He also noted that the current level of hospital bed occupancy is “dangerous ”. According to official health ministry figures, 34,691 Covid beds are currently occupied in Poland – 78% of the total available. Some 3,342 people are on ventilators, meanwhile – 79% of the total.

Niedzielski said that the effects of any increased mobility over the Easter period on the spread of the virus would become visible next week.

The government urged people to stay at home and limit contact with more distant family members over the holiday, but opted against imposing controls on movement or closing churches.

The minister added that he hoped young children would be able to return to in-person learning this month. “At the moment, there should not be any loosening of restrictions, but I agree that nurseries, preschools and education in years 1-3 are priorities,” he said, quoted by Interia.

Poland today reported 14,910 new cases of coronavirus as well as 638 deaths. The number of infections is under half the equivalent figure from a week ago, although Niedzielski confirmed that data from recent days are likely to be distorted by Easter, and that the true picture would emerge in the coming days.

Almost 6.8 million coronavirus vaccinations have been carried out in Poland as of this morning, including more than 2 million second doses. Just over 12% of Poles had received at least one dose of a vaccine by 5 April, which was just below the European Union average of almost 13%.

Main image credit: Adam Guz/KPRM (under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Ben Koschalka

Ben Koschalka is a translator and senior editor at Notes from Poland. Originally from Britain, he has lived in Kraków since 2005.