Poland announces new restrictions after surge in COVID cases

As of Saturday, all establishments with the exception of essential stores will be shut

From 27 March to 9 April, new safety measures will be enforced in Poland. These reforms have been announced as a result of a significant increase in COVID infections. More specifically, the Polish government reported that over 35,000 new cases were registered on 25 March.

Only essential stores will remain open

Currently, shopping centres, cultural venues, sports facilities, and hotels have been forced to stop operating. As of Saturday, hairdressers, beauty salons, and stores for large-format furniture will also have to close. Therefore, only essential stores (such as pharmacies and grocery stores) will be allowed to remain open.

In a press release, the government further announced the closures of nurseries and kindergartens. However, this rule does not apply for the children of medical workers and law enforcement (soldiers, police officers, firefighters, etc.) Students of all grades and ages will also continue to learn remotely.

Restrictions on the number of people

From Saturday, there will be a limit on the number of people in commercial establishments, at the market and post office:

• 1 person per 15m² in shops up to 100m²
• 1 person per 20m² in shops over 100m²

These restrictions will also apply for places of religious worship as churches will now limit capacity to 1 person per 20m². Of course, people will still be required to wear a mask and keep a distance of 1.5 metres.

As the safety measures will still be in force during Easter, the government urges citizens to comply with the new rules and limit contact. Taking this further, people must stay home and only meet with their closest household members.

Finally, Polish citizens have been advised to download STOP COVID - ProteGO Safe, an application which will notify them about possible exposure to the virus.

UPDATE 7 April 2021: The abovementioned restrictions have been extended to 18 April 2021.