WARSAW, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki presented a timetable on Wednesday on easing restrictions put in place to contain the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
Most of the restrictions that have been in place since October last year will gradually be lifted over the course of May, which according to Morawiecki, is made possible by declining infection numbers since the start of April. Some activities, including nurseries, preschools, primary schools and beauty salons, have already resumed earlier in the month in most of the country.
"The virus will not go away overnight," Morawiecki said during the announcement, calling for Poles to keep registering for vaccination. He also said that the government would still need flexibility in case the situation starts worsening again.
Starting on May 1, outdoor sporting facilities are allowed to reopen, while closed facilities and swimming pools can operate for organized groups of minors.
Art galleries and museums, as well as hardware and furniture stores, shopping malls are allowed to reopen on May 4. Places of worship can receive 1 person per 15 square meter indoors, down from 1 per 20 square meters, with a government recommendation to organize as many services outdoors as possible. On that day, pupils from the first three cohorts of primary school can return to their classrooms after being consigned to a hybrid of in-person and remote learning.
Hotels can reopen on May 8, provided that they only offer 50 percent capacity and keep their spas and restaurant areas closed.
The outdoor masking requirement will be lifted starting on May 15 in areas with fewer than 15 infections per 100,000 people. Restaurants and bars will be allowed to offer outdoor dining on that date as well, but will need to keep their indoor facilities shut until May 29. Other outdoor services, including cinemas and theatres, are allowed to operate on May 15 as well, but at 50 percent capacity. Outdoor events, including weddings, will also be allowed from that day on, with a limit of 25 guests.
Outdoor sports events can receive spectators up to 25 percent of capacity from May 15.
Starting from May 29, restaurants and bars will be allowed to open indoor dining at 50 percent capacity, while events, indoor cinemas and theatres will start to function at 50 percent capacity, along with indoor sports facilities and swimming pools, and all pupils will return to school.
Since the start of the pandemic, 2,776,927 Poles have been confirmed infected with the coronavirus, with 66,533 deaths. Over the last 24 hours, 636 people died in Poland of COVID-19. The country of 38 million has so far vaccinated 10,740,169 people. Enditem