The line was crossed on Wednesday, March 17: 25,000 new cases of coronavirus infections mark a return to full, nationwide lockdown. What restrictions may be introduced across the country?
At the beginning of the week, the government announced that if the daily number of infections in Poland exceeds 25,000 by Thursday, a nationwide lockdown and possibly additional restrictions will be introduced across the country. On Wednesday morning it turned out that the border had broken. Therefore, the decision on the national lockdown may be made during today’s conference of the Minister of Health, Adam Niedzielski, which is initially scheduled for 3 p.m.
Nationwide restrictions coming up!
The introduction of new nationwide restrictions is practically a foregone conclusion. Currently, stricter restrictions are in force in 4 provinces.
The government’s baseline scenario consists in extending the restrictions applicable today in Mazovia, Pomerania, Warmia and Mazury and Lubuskie to the entire country. It is about the partial closure of schools, shopping malls, hotels, culture and sports.
Restrictions that are already in force in 4 voivodships
Distance learning in grades 4-8 of primary schools, secondary schools, technical schools, and colleges (with exceptions).
Closed gyms, fitness clubs.
Closed restaurants and bars, only take-out meals.
Ban on the organization of weddings and consoles.
However, some modifications are possible. There is a discussion, for example, about introducing additional restrictions in trade, i.e. a reduced number of customers who can be in super and hypermarkets at the same time, because it is known that crowds will gather in stores before Christmas.
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Polish people are facing further changes related to the coronavirus pandemic. “We want to give up the possibility of replacing masks with visors or scarves. The helmets can be used additionally to the mask”, announced the Minister of Health, Adam Niedzielski. It is forbidden to cover your face only with visors, scarves or the so-called chimneys is to come into force this Saturday (February 27).
Quarantine for the Southern border
The government also decided to introduce a quarantine obligation for people crossing Poland’s southern border (with Slovakia and the Czech Republic). The condition for release from quarantine is presenting a negative test for the last 48 hours.
The government decided to introduce new restrictions only in one voivodship, where the highest increase in infected people is recorded.
We want the education in grades 1-3 in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship to return to the remote mode, so that galleries, museums, cinemas, and other public places will be closed.
Adam Niedzielski, Minister of Health
Podhale breathed a breath
After the announcement of this information, the highlanders, who were afraid that the government would close the Podhale businesses again, were relieved.
We are glad that there will not be another lockdown for the tourism industry, that we can still work and earn. On the other hand, this conference is a strong signal for us to take care of sanitary restrictions even more. Therefore, we appeal to all owners of hotels and guesthouses, as well as the inhabitants of Podhale, to be careful, to sensitize their guests, to follow the instructions to cover their mouth and nose with masks and to distance themselves. Together, we must ensure that we are all healthy and can continue to work.
Agata Wojtowicz from the Tatra Chamber of Commerce
Theaters planned for longer than 14 days!
On the other hand, Bartosz Szydłowski, artistic director of Łaźnia Nowa, admits that when announcing the repertoire for the second half of February, he hoped that theaters would remain open for longer than the conditional 14 days.
That is why on 27, 28 February, and 1 March we have planned the presentation of one of the last premieres of Łaźnia, a performance about masculinity and well-received at the Divine Comedy Festival: “Autobiography Just In Case” directed by Michał Buszewicz. It seems that we are already used to the constant changes and dynamics of the situation in the country, so work in the theater must be continuous and on a regular basis. We are glad that we will be able to continue playing because we have already felt the energy of our audience, which came back and filled the Bathhouse last weekend at the performance “Ginczanka. Recipe for the simplicity of life ”. It drives us. In March, we are planning the premiere of “Breath” directed by Franciszek Szumiński at the New Epiphanies Festival, and it may not have to be online.
Bartosz Szydłowski
The third wave is accelerating
Results show that the 3rd wave is accelerating in Poland. The dynamics of infections are beginning to catch up with those we dealt with at the beginning of the second wave in October last year.
dam Niedzielski, Minister of Health
The minister pointed out that the average daily infection counted for the last week practically reached the level of 8,000 cases, and a week ago it was less than 6,000. In the last week, an increase in the occupancy of beds in the covid infrastructure was also observed.
Adam Niedzielski will emphasize that the most disturbing situation concerns the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.
In this voivodeship, we exceed the average for the whole country more than twice.
The Minister of Health
Helmets are not a good protection
Prof. Iwona Paradowska-Stankiewicz, a national consultant in the field of epidemiology, informed that one unchanging element that determines how we can avoid infection is the use of personal protection, i.e. masks.
Masks that adhere tightly to the face are able to reduce transmission, i.e. filter out over 90 percent of pathogens that are in the immediate vicinity. Helmets are not good protection, they are not recommended protection against the virus. It can be said that they constitute a mechanical barrier that, to some extent, protects our eye mucosa.
Prof. Iwona Paradowska-Stankiewicz
The expert added that the recommended masks are surgical masks and above.
Disposable masks can also be used. The key is, however, to wear the masks so that they cover the mouth and nose.
Prof. Iwona Paradowska-Stankiewicz
The loosening of restrictions
Let us recall that in mid-February, due to the stabilization of the disease, the government decided to loosen the restrictions. Hotels and accommodation are open from mid-February. From February 12, cinemas, theaters, philharmonics, operas – all in accordance with the applicable sanitary regime and up to 50 percent. available places. Some sports facilities are also open, incl. slopes and swimming pools.
In turn, Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin said then that over PLN 182 billion has already been allocated to help companies affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and within three weeks from the so-called Shield 2.0 – PLN 4 billion 900 million.
New updates every 14 days – stay tuned!
Members of the government informed that new solutions regarding the restrictions are being introduced conditionally, and that further decisions will depend on the situation related to the coronavirus pandemic.
On Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Health informed us that we had crossed the barrier of 10,000. cases per day. This is the highest daily result since January 6. The death toll from the virus has also increased. 372 people have died in Poland due to COVID-19.
As far as Małopolska is concerned, it is ranked 7th in the latest statistics of the Ministry of Health, among all provinces with the highest daily number of infections.
Taken from Gazeta Krakowska – find the Polish language article here.
A press conference with the participation of, among others, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Minister of Health Adam Niedzielski took place today. The next stage of easing the restrictions introduced in connection with the coronavirus pandemic has been announced. From February 12, cinemas and theaters will be opened (up to 50% of seats will be occupied). Hotels may also be opened with the same restrictions. But this is not the end. “Also from February 12 we open sport outside, i.e. pitches, courts, slopes” – announced Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Gliński.
“Throughout the week we listened to the voices of experts, the economic sector, etc. We are dealing with the stabilization of the pandemic situation, new cases of infections, but at the same time, the number of deaths is still very large. Therefore, it can be called fragile stabilization”, emphasizes Prime Minister Morawiecki.
In addition to cinemas and theaters, other cultural institutions will also be open from February 12 – Opera houses and Philharmonics
They are still closed, however, restaurants and gyms.
Here is the list of changes from February 12:
Hotels will be opened (up to 50% occupancy)
Cinemas, theaters, philharmonics, and operas will be opened up to 50% of the occupancy
Outdoor playgrounds, tennis courts, and ski slopes will be opened
Indoor pools will be opened
Restaurants, gyms, and fitness clubs will still be closed
What can Poles expect?
“There is no shortage of suggestions that it is the hotels (under strict sanitary regime) that will open after February 14th. On Thursday, the head of the PiS Executive Committee, Krzysztof Sobolewski, also spoke about this on Radio ZET. In his opinion, the hotels may be opened on Valentine’s Day” – Radio ZET informed.
“Hotels could start operating under strict sanitary regime “.” We are also analyzing the situation related to other industries. It is possible that MRPiT will also recommend other easing to the Council of Ministers in the near future “
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Development, Labor and Technology Jarosław Gowin
Let us remind you that shopping malls have been fully open for several days, including museums. They have liquidated the so-called hours for seniors (inside the stores – between 10 am and 12).
The epidemiological situation in Poland
6,496 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed on February 4 by the Ministry of Health. Most of the province Masovian (960). In turn, from the province Małopolskiego 272. Another 84 people died in the whole country due to COVID-19, while 360 people died due to the coexistence of COVID-19 with other diseases.
It is possible that the planned mass screening tests for coronavirus will be mandatory in Małopolska. When will the final decision be made? And when will the tests even be conducted? Health Minister Adam Niedzielski gave the dates.
Nothing final!
No final decisions have been made as to how we will do it. We take into account different variants. It may be such a method that we will give family doctors permission so that everyone can come to the clinic and undergo a test. And in this model, the tests would be voluntary. The second model may involve the use of the entire network of drive true points, residents would receive referrals for tests. And in this case – if we chose such a model – it would probably be obligatory to perform the test – said Adam Niedzielski, the Minister of Health in the morning interview of RMF FM.
A decision will be made this week whether coronavirus tests will be mandatory.
Minister Niedzielski was also asked when mass tests, e.g. in Małopolska they will begin at all, he stated that “if we chose the first of the above-mentioned models, testing could actually start immediately, in the case of the second model it would probably take about a week or two for organized logistics”.
Final decisions are to be made this week.
Let us remind you that, according to the announcement of the Ministry of Health, Małopolska will be one of the 3 voivodeships that will be covered by screening tests for coronavirus.
How will the tests be done?
The research will be carried out using antigen tests for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The test detects the presence of specific proteins (antigens) in a nasopharyngeal swab and can therefore confirm an ongoing infection.
Credibility?
When asked about the credibility of the rapid screening tests for coronavirus, the Minister of Health said that “indeed these tests have high sensitivity in the group of people who have symptoms and high multiplication of the virus in the body, while in a lighter condition these tests do not always come out positive, i.e. they are so-called false negative “.
Antigen tests to be made available
At the end of October, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski announced that antigen tests will be the same basis for determining the presence of coronavirus as PCR tests. Rapid antigen tests give the result after only a dozen or so minutes. They are to be performed mainly in hospitals, in HEDs, and emergency rooms, but you can also do them yourself.
Case study: Slovakia
Screening, also with the use of antigen tests, was performed by Slovakia on almost the entire 5.5 million population (except for children up to 10 years of age). A positive result was obtained for about 1% of the population.
Read the original article, in Polish language, on the Gazeta Krakowska site.
From Saturday (TODAY!), Krakow and all counties across Poland will be in the yellow zone. This means that the order to cover the mouth and nose will apply to the entire public space.
“From Saturday, the yellow zone will be extended to the entire country. We are obligated to cover our mouth and nose in public spaces, buses, and trams. Already today, we would have about 100 poviats in the yellow zone, i.e. a third of the country, hence such a decision” – Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced at a joint conference with the Minister of Health.
From today, throughout the country, the maximum number of guests at special events is 75 people, and in restaurants – 1 person per 4 sqm.The participation of viewers in cultural events cannot exceed 25%. available places.
The announcement was made Thursday – record increase by 30%
“Thursday (08.10.2020) we had a record increase in infections (4280 – ed.), by 30 % more than the day before. In the case of such dynamics, the doubling of infections will occur every 3 days, which is a very large number and we want it to be limited and flatten out. We want to apply a similar strategy to the one from a few months ago”, announced Prime Minister Morawiecki.
The number of occupied beds for patients with Covid-19 on Thursday was 4138. The total number of beds is 9.5 thousand. “We are conducting activities to increase the number of beds by another several thousand. However, we have free beds at the level of nearly 60 percent, so the situation for patients is safe, but we want to increase the number of available beds throughout the country” – added Mateusz Morawiecki.
“A few months have passed since the introduction of the first restrictions that helped in the fight against the first wave of the pandemic. Now we have the second wave, we have to face it categorically and use the experience so far. We cannot waste these experiences by treating health issues gently”, said the Prime Minister.
Małopolska breaks the records!
Małopolska is breaking the record in the daily number of new cases of coronavirus infections overnight. On Tuesday, October 6, the positive result for COVID-19 was confirmed in 273 people, on Wednesday, October 7, it was already 360 people, and on Thursday, October 8, the number exceeded half a thousand. This is another 552 people, including 28 children and 524 adults, most of which is in Krakow – 166 people.
Once a week, the Ministry of Health publishes the current list of poviats and cities that have been qualified to the yellow or red zones. Which of the poviats will go to a given zone is determined by the number of cases in the last 14 days per 10,000. residents.
Masks on!
According to the new rules introduced in both the yellow and red zones, the requirement to cover the mouth and nose will be in force from Saturday 10 October . People without a mask will have to document their choice with a medical certificate this time. From that day on, new restrictions will apply to gastronomic establishments that will close their activities in the red zone at 22.
The police announce a ” zero tolerance ” policy . If someone does not wear a mask when required to do so, they will need to provide a medical certificate stating that they cannot do so for health reasons. If there is no certificate, the police will be able to issue a ticket or take the case to court or instruct the person.
A ban on events
The Minister of Health also announced a ban on making premises available for events. The limits of people at weddings and other special events will also change.
“In the yellow zone we are reducing the number of participants in events from 100 to 75, and in the red zone it remains unchanged, so 50 participants” – informed Adam Niedzielski.
The plans of the Ministry of Health also include informing residents about the introduction of specific zones through the alert system of the Government Center for Security.
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