Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced a new set of coronavirus restrictions for yellow and red zones. "We want to introduce restrictions that will protect us from the spread of coronavirus, but at the same time, we want to keep the economy running" - the prime minister said after a Government Crisis Management Team meeting.
The chief of the cabinet said that the government's aim was to ensure effective work of the health service, keep the economy working, and protect jobs. "We're not facing a choice, fellow citizens, between either no restrictions at all, or a full lockdown. There's a middle course, based on common sense, and yet assuming certain restrictions and discipline, and assuming we will follow them" - Morawiecki said.
"We also want to introduce restrictions that will protect us from the spread of coronavirus, but at the same time, we want to keep the economy running" - said the prime minister.
Red and yellow zones
The Minister of Health Adam Niedzielski said on Thursday that 152 counties and cities with county rights would be considered red zones starting Saturday, October 17.
"This is nearly half of Poland. These are densely populated counties, number of citizens living in them equals more than 70 percent of the whole population of Poland," said the minister.
Eleven provincial capitals will be considered red zones: Białystok, Bydgoszcz, Gdańsk, Kielce, Kraków, Lublin, Łódź, Olsztyn, Poznań, Rzeszów and Warsaw.
All parts of the country not marked as red zones are marked yellow.
New restrictions for the yellow zone starting October 17
Economy
- Bars and restaurants open between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., only takeaways after. Every second table can be taken
- Public transport - 50 percent of seats taken or 30 percent of all spaces
Social life
- Weddings, other occasions - up to 20 people maximum, no dancing part (starting October 19)
- Religious ceremonies - maximum one person per four square metres
- Public gatherings - up to 25 people
Education, culture and sport
- Universities, middle and high schools - hybrid learning
- Sporting events with no spectators
- Cultural events - up to 25 percent of capacity
- Closed swimming pools, water parks and gyms
New restrictions for the red zone starting October 17
Economy
- Shops and malls - up to 5 people per one cash register
- Bars and restaurants open between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., only takeaways after. Every second table can be taken
- Public transport - 50 percent of seats taken or 30 percent of all spaces
Social life
- Ban on organising social events such as weddings or wakes - starting October 19
- Maximum one person per 7 square metres during religious ceremonies
- Public gatherings - up to 10 people
Education, culture and sport
- Universities, middle and high schools - remote learning (excluding practical classes)
- Sporting events with no spectators
- Cultural events - up to 25 percent of capacity
- Closed swimming pools, water parks and gyms
PM calls upon the elderly to stay home
"I am calling on all elderly people to stay home... we will win this fight, but only if we are united and responsible," Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told a news conference.
He added he was certain that "as a society, for these few weeks we are able to show huge solidarity in facing the epidemic".
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: Shutterstock