Poland is moving into a “state of epidemic” — which gives central and regional governments greater powers to deal with a crisis — Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced at a press conference Friday evening.
Since March 13, the country has been in a state of “epidemic threat.” That status has now been upgraded, which will give the authorities ability to, for example, transfer medical personnel and other government workers and introduce limits on transport.
Poland has reported 411 cases of coronavirus, 50 of which were on Friday.
The resolution on a state of epidemic will not change the date of the Polish presidential elections planned for May this year.
The state of the epidemic means that schools will remain closed until Easter. The school suspension will not change the dates of official exams. The special care benefit for parents of children that must stay at home will be extended for an additional 14 days.
PM Mateusz Morawiecki informed the press that government estimates indicate 10,000 infected within the next few days.
The Prime Minister emphasized that compliance with the quarantine rules is fundamental. He said, today Chinese or Taiwanese can go back to work, because they were very strict about the quarantine rules.
“We are also introducing higher penalties – from PLN 5,000 up to PLN 30,000, and additional mechanisms to track whether a given person is actually at home at the address he has declared – the head of government announced.
The Prime Minister said that the current situation in Poland related to the coronavirus epidemic is “an exam on responsibility that we all experience”.
We do it, for all Poles, but especially for the elderly, for seniors” – the Polish PM emphasized.
