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Poles have to wear masks in public under new virus rules

16.04.2020 07:00
Poles have to wear masks or scarves in public after new rules aiming to curb the spread of the coronavirus came into force on Thursday.
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Image by NickyPe from Pixabay
Image by NickyPe from Pixabay Pixabay License

The move comes as the government plans a gradual easing of a lockdown in an effort to lessen the impact of the epidemic on business.

Officials were expected to unveil details later in the day.

Poland’s Health Minister Łukasz Szumowski has announced that the authorities will start “slowly unfreezing” the economy from April 19.

Szumowski said last week that the new rules forcing Poles to cover their nose and mouth when out in public would help protect “not us, the ones wearing these masks and scarves, but others from us.”

He told reporters that the COVID-19 disease was spreading in Poland, and some people who were infected showed no symptoms.

Meanwhile, Michał Dworczyk, the head of the Polish Prime Minister's Office, has said that the authorities plan to relax a swathe of restrictions on daily life “in a very cautious manner.”

He added the government wanted “as much freedom as possible, and as many restrictions as necessary."

A total of 7,582 people have tested positive for the COVID-19 disease in Poland, with 286 deaths from the coronavirus so far, officials said on Wednesday afternoon.

In a move to contain the spread of the epidemic, the government has limited the operations of shopping malls and closed all pubs, clubs and entertainment venues.

Public gatherings of more than two people have been banned. Health and government officials have urged Poles to stay home and practice social distancing.

The government at the end of last month announced tough new restrictions on daily life, banning children under 18 from leaving home unless supervised by an adult, closing parks and beaches, and ordering most hotels to shut. 

(pk/gs)

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