Poland mulls new restrictions as COVID-19 cases spike

Poland broke its record on the daily number of new COVID-19 infections for the second day in a row on Friday, as 1,587 new cases were confirmed in a 24-hour span by the country’s health ministry.

The previous record for the daily number was 1,136, which was set only a day earlier, confirming a spike in infection numbers. On Friday, over 137,000 individuals were in quarantine, according to the health ministry.

In reaction, the Polish government will announce restrictions in areas hit hardest. “There will be restrictions on social gatherings, and others,” health ministry spokesman Wojciech Andrusiewicz told journalists.

“Right now, there are talks going on between the (health) minister Niedzielski and the new team that has recently been formed.”

As of Friday, 19 counties were designated as so-called yellow zones where restrictions apply for public events and family gatherings. Two counties are designated as red zone, where people must comply with stricter restrictions.

According to the health ministry, 84,396 cases have been confirmed in Poland since the start of the pandemic in March, with 2,392 deaths.

Polish President Andrzej Duda told reporters that the coronavirus pandemic is under control in Poland and that the number of new daily infections is expected to flatten by mid-October, according to an online story of English channel Poland In run by TVP, the country’s largest television network.

“The pandemic is not in retreat, but it is under control in our country; we can expect that there may still be a rise in cases until mid-October,(…) but from then we expect a flattening of the curve,” Duda was quoted as saying.

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Source: Xinhua