The state of epidemic emergency has been changed to a state of epidemic. Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki announced this at a Friday press conference.
The penalty for violating quarantine is increasing from PLN 5,000 to PLN 30,000.
Classes at schools will be suspended until the Easter holidays. – We have decided to extend the closure of all educational institutions and higher education institutions until the holidays – said Mateusz Morawiecki, head of the Polish government. – Today’s decision does not change the school calendar. The examinations will take place as scheduled – said Dariusz Piontkowski, the education minister.
The 14-day childcare allowances will be extended in connection with the prolonged suspension of classes. Such allowances are available to parents of children up to 8 years old who attend a crèche, preschool, school or children’s club.
– The anti-crisis bill is already ready; the final provisions are being polished. Introducing a state of epidemic will not delay the elections – the prime minister assured.
– Within a few days, we will have two thousand patients; within two weeks, there may be 10,000 of them. We are preparing for these high numbers – said the health minister.
What does a state of epidemic mean, and what does the health minister’s regulation introduce?
– Today, more than 400 people are infected with the coronavirus. More than 50 people were added today; 900 are hospitalized, and tens of thousands are in quarantine. The health minister and provincial governors may delegate people to work in the field to stop the epidemic. Grocery stores and pharmacies will remain open in shopping centres. The matter of quarantine and its procedures has been regulated – said Łukasz Szumowski, the health minister.
A state of epidemic makes it possible to introduce a so-called zero zone. Such a zone is an area located directly around the virus outbreak. The minister issues a regulation indicating where zero zones are introduced; for example, if the highest number of infections today is recorded in a given province, its capital may be designated as a zero zone. This may involve the temporary closure of the city, a ban on leaving or entering it, and the deployment of checkpoints at the city borders. All this is intended to limit the spread of the virus.
During a state of epidemic, the following may be introduced:
- a temporary restriction on a specified manner of movement
- a temporary restriction or prohibition on the trading in and use of specified items or food products
- a temporary restriction on the operation of specified institutions or workplaces
- a ban on organizing performances and other public gatherings
- an obligation to carry out specified sanitary procedures if their performance is connected with the operation of specified production, service, commercial or other facilities
- an order to make real estate, premises and land available and to provide means of transport for anti-epidemic operations provided for in anti-epidemic plans
- an obligation to administer preventive vaccinations
During the state of epidemic, the restrictions introduced under the state of epidemic emergency also remain in force. These include a ban on organizing mass events, cancelled international flights, border controls, and closed schools and universities. If the situation continues to deteriorate, the next step is to introduce a state of emergency.
More than 250,000 coronavirus infections caused by SARS-CoV-2 have so far been recorded worldwide. Currently, the largest number of new cases is being recorded in Europe and the Middle East, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).