Three more people have tested positive for coronavirus as of Sunday evening, raising the total number of confirmed cases in Poland to 11. According to the Polish Health Ministry (Ministerstwo Zdrowia), the patients include a woman from Silesia and two men from the Lower Silesian and Mazowian provinces.
The woman, who is described as being “in the prime of her life,” was already in quarantine and was taken to a hospital in Racibósz after testing positive. The elderly male patient, currently in Wrocław, reportedly contracted the virus through contact with a loved one who is hospitalized abroad. The last patient, who is hospitalized in Warsaw, is a young man who recently returned from a trip to Italy.
SANEPID and other epidemiological services are already tracking those potentially infected through contact with the newest cases and placing them in quarantine. As of Monday morning, 168 people are currently under observation in hospital, 932 are quarantined at home, and 7,122 are being monitored by SANEPID.
March of the Living postponed due to coronavirus concerns
For the first time since its founding in 1988, the annual “March of the Living” event in Auschwitz-Birkenau has been postponed indefinitely due to the threat of coronavirus. As reported in the Times of Israel yesterday, the April 21st event is being postponed as a “precautionary measure” to protect the health of the thousands of participants scheduled to travel to Poland from around the world.
The two-week educational program commemorating the victims of the Holocaust traditionally culminates in the silent “March of the Living” from Auschwitz to Birkenau, a direct reference to the infamous Nazi death marches at the end of WWII. In contrast, the March of the Living is meant to celebrate the resilience and continued existence of the Jewish people despite efforts by the Nazis to obliterate them.
Organizers have not yet announced a new date for the march.
Major drug bust at Port of Gdynia
Polish police and tax inspectors thwarted a major drug smuggling operation at the Port of Gdynia over the weekend, seizing a record haul of narcotics, including 275 kg of heroin labeled as “soapstone.” The drugs, which also included 126 kg of cocaine, had an estimated street value of more than PLN 60 million (EUR 14 million) according to a statement made by Prime Minister Morawiecki in a press conference yesterday.
Paweł Półtorzycki, the chief of Poland’s Central Bureau of Police Investigation (CBŚP), told reporters that 13 suspects had been detained in connection with the bust, including one Polish man. The 37-year-old resident of Małopolska was later transferred to the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Gdańsk and charged with participation in an organized criminal group and narcotics smuggling. If convicted, the man could face a prison sentence of anywhere from 3 to 15 years.
Mixed feelings for football fans in Trójmiasto
Arka Gdynia lost to Wisła Płock 1:2 over the weekend, a disappointing sendoff for coach Aleksandar Rogic, who announced earlier that he would be leaving the team.
Lechia Gdańsk, however, performed decidedly better in an often unpredictable and hard-fought 4:4 draw against Zagłębie Lubin on Sunday. The dynamic match showed off Lechia’s offensive potential but the team failed to perform defensively, resulting in a record-setting number of goals for a match ending in a draw.
The 7th-ranked Lechia is heavily favored in next weekend’s Tricity Derby against 14th-ranked Arka Gdynia; the match is set for 5:30pm Sunday at PGE Arena in Gdańsk. Lechia fans will have an additional chance to cheer this week when the White and Green gear up to face off against Piast Gliwice in the quarter-finals of the Polish Cup at PGE Arena on Wednesday night.
For more information on sporting or cultural events going on around Trójmiasto, follow us on twitter at @radiogdansknews.
Weather
Today will be partly cloudy with only a slight chance of rain during the day and a gentle breeze coming from the south. Temperatures will peak around a high of 8°C, or 46°F with temps dropping to 6°C or 42°F overnight and an increasing chance for rain showers later this evening.
RG/EP/ako
