"The third wave of the coronavirus is unfortunately accelerating. My appeal to all Poles is: stay at home and try to limit activities to the minimum," said Deputy Health Minister Waldemar Kraska.
"The weeks ahead will be very difficult for us," he added.
Kraska's call came as Poland on Wednesday reported 25,052 new coronavirus infections – almost 8,000 more than the same day last week – and 453 more deaths.
That brought its total number of cases during the pandemic to 1,956,974 and fatalities to 48,032.
On November 7, the Polish health ministry confirmed 27,875 new single-day cases, the most since the pandemic hit the country last March.
On November 25, the country reported its highest daily toll of 674 deaths related to the coronavirus.
Regional curbs
Poland this week imposed a partial lockdown on two additional provinces amid a surge in the epidemic.
Restrictions came into force on Monday in the country's central Mazowieckie region, which includes the national capital Warsaw, and in the western province of Lubuskie, where the level of infections has caused concern.
Hotels, shopping malls, cinemas, theatres, museums and swimming pools in these two regions have been ordered to shut, while young schoolchildren have in part returned to remote classes.
Earlier, a range of restrictions on public life were reintroduced in the northern Pomerania province and in the northeastern region of Warmińsko-Mazurskie.
Pandemic restrictions in the rest of the country are expected to remain unchanged until at least March 28 following an easing of containment measures earlier this year.
(pk/gs)
Source: IAR