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Poland vows ‘zero tolerance’ for rule breakers amid spike in epidemic

06.10.2020 17:07
Poland’s health minister on Tuesday announced “zero tolerance” towards people who flout sanitary rules amid a spike in coronavirus infections, warning that offenders will be “severely punished.”
Zero tolerance: Health Minister Adam Niedzielski.
Zero tolerance: Health Minister Adam Niedzielski. Photo: PAP/Rafał Guz

Speaking on the day that Poland reported its highest single-day death toll since the start of the pandemic, Adam Niedzielski told reporters: "At a time when the pandemic has escalated there is no place for selfishness.”

Niedzielski said that anyone not wearing a face mask in situations where health rules require them to do so “will be severely punished."

People will only be exempt if they have a doctor’s note saying they suffer from a health condition which precludes them from wearing a mask.

'Deadly threat' 

Niedzielski told a press conference : "This shows how serious the situation is. It shows what a deadly threat the coronavirus pandemic is."

He added that many Poles were flouting safety rules, despite the risks.

Poland on Tuesday reported 2,236 new coronavirus infections and 58 additional deaths, its highest single-day death toll since the start of the pandemic.

A total of 104,316 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Poland since the pandemic began, and 2,717 have died from the COVID-19 respiratory disease so far, public health officials announced.

However, with 65 COVID-19 deaths per million population, Poland remains far less affected by the coronavirus epidemic than many other countries in Europe, according to figures released by the health ministry in Warsaw last week.

(pk)

Source: PAP