Poland goes all “red” from Saturday

Also, new rules are added to the already existing ones

New safety rules will apply across the entire territory of Poland from Saturday, 24 October, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki explained at a press conference held on Friday. Not only does the entire country become a “red zone”, but the existing rules for the most affected parts of the country are now accompanied by new, stricter ones. They concern education, the economy and social life.

New territories, new restrictions

Dividing Poland into red and yellow zones depending on the level of Covid-19 spread and applying new rules does not seem to be working so far, according to the Polish government. Albeit slightly slower than the average for Europe, the new coronavirus is spreading at an alarming rate in the country with 160 cases per 10,000 inhabitants.

In order to give the health system a chance to deal with this heavy burden, the government has further restricted the existing rules, which are valid since 17 October. Even worse, within the next few days, it will be decided if more drastic moves like closing borders, reducing movement, or a deeper lockdown are needed.

For the time being, the new rules, in force after Saturday 24 October, will make the entirety of Poland a red zone. This means that in addition to the existing limitations for the red zones, the following additional regulation will be in effect:

• Older groups of primary school (4-8) will go into distance learning mode with more details to be announced by the Ministry of Education;
• On school days, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., children up to 16 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or a guardian;
• Sanatoriums shut down;
• Food establishments close to visitors – it will only be possible to deliver to home or via takeaway;
• Group events of over 5 persons are banned (except for business meetings).

The government is also launching the Solidarity Corps for Senior Support - a program designed to coordinate assistance to the elderly, both at the central and local levels. A special, free helpline for seniors (22 505 11 11) will be launched as part of the Corps.