In an interview with the RMF FM radio station, the health minister emphasised that “we are witnessing growing increases in the number of infections,” the state PAP news agency reported.
“Three days ago the number of cases rose by 10 percent [compared with the week before], while yesterday it grew by more than 25 percent,” Niedzielski noted, adding: “Obviously this is a clear warning sign.”
Asked if a lockdown was on the cards, the health minister replied that “when the potential of vaccination is nearing an end, you employ the remaining measures, namely restrictions.”
“If the number of infections continues to rise at the present rate this week, with around 20,000 hospital beds occupied, we are going to introduce further curbs,” Niedzielski said, adding it would happen “probably on Wednesday or Friday.”
The health minister specified that the new restrictions could “curb economic activity, for instance of shopping malls and similar establishments.”
Referring to the new, highly contagious strain of the coronavirus, omicron, Niedzielski stressed that “each of us is exposed to contact with omicron” and therefore “not getting vaccinated shows a lack of responsibility,” PAP reported.
Meanwhile, the government's spokesperson Piotr Müller on Monday told reporters the cabinet would make a decision regarding restrictions "probably on Wednesday," public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
Poland on Monday reported 6,422 new coronavirus infections and 9 more deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the country's total number of cases during the pandemic to 4,133,851 and fatalities to 97,601.
Public health authorities in the middle of December confirmed Poland's first case of the omicron COVID-19 variant. Since then 51 more omicron cases have been detected, according to Deputy Health Minister Waldemar Kraska, IAR reported on Monday.
(pm)
Source: PAP, IAR