Poland eases more restrictions, Austrian schools reopened with masks

Shopping malls and hotels reopened in Poland on Monday as the country’s government lifted additional restrictions put in place in March to curb the spread of the coronavirus. After closing for seven weeks due to the COVID-19, Austrian schools reopened to graduating classes on Monday, with teachers and students trying to adapt to the new routine of wearing masks, washing hands frequently and keeping social distance.

Malls are required to enforce hand sanitation and give out disposable gloves to shoppers.

Stores reported high numbers of customers as many retailers were allowed to open their doors for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Besides malls, hotels, libraries and cultural institutions are allowed to open again, as well as some art galleries and other museums.

Among them is the Royal Castle in the center of the capital, Warsaw, which was officially reopened by deputy prime minister Piotr Glinski.

“Institutes such as these, which will operate under a new sanitary regime, will be reopened systematically,” Glinski said in his ceremonial speech.

“The final decision lies with their boards and will always be coordinated with the sanitary inspections.”

So far, the Polish government has reported 14,006 coronavirus cases, with 698 deaths. The spread of the epidemic has been steady, with typically between 200 and 400 new cases reported daily.

Austrian schools reopen with masks, distancing and disinfectants as new routine

In many schools, to guarantee social distancing, lessons were not held in the normal classroom, but in the gymnasium – for example in the Goethe Gymnasium, a general high school in Vienna, according to local media.

There, among other things, handrails on the stairs were glued with barrier tape, and strips for distance control were found on the floor. The hygiene rules and instructions for correct movement in the school building were clearly visible at the entrance.