In addition to the tons of medical equipment being delivered via the “air bridge” to China, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced yesterday that Poland would be ramping up production of face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) to counter the demands brought on by the current coronavirus epidemic. In a press conference at Warsaw’s Chopin Airport Tuesday morning, Morawiecki claimed Poland was already capable of producing 40 million non-medical masks each month, and was aiming for a monthly target of some 100 million masks by mid-May. The move is part of a concentrated effort to rebuild Poland’s own domestic production of PPE including protective masks and gowns.
According to Morawiecki, Poland has “several weeks’ worth of personal protective equipment for our medical professionals, police officers, border guards, and other law enforcement services.” The push for enhanced production capacity comes just as a new government order on wearing masks in public is set to take effect across Poland on April 16.
Source: Radio Poland
Poland set to begin relaxing restrictions
Health Minister Łukas Szumowski announced yesterday that Poland would be joining countries like Czechia and Denmark in relaxing some of its social distancing measures beginning next week.
In an interview with independent radio broadcaster RMF FM, Szumowski announced that Poland would be “slowly unfreezing the economy” starting April 19th, adding that the current government-imposed restrictions on daily life in Poland were proving effective. „If it weren’t for that,” he continued, “we would have tens of thousands of people ill today.” As of 10:00 on Tuesday, Poland had 7408 confirmed cases and 268 deaths from COVID-19.
According to government spokesman Piotr Müller, decisions on „loosening” economic restrictions would be finalized on Wednesday or Thursday of this week, with an initial focus on relaxing restrictions around the number of people allowed in shops along with re-opening access to forests and parks.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Gdynia finds creative ways to remind residents to cover up
New regulations set to take effect tomorrow (April 16) require anyone in a public place or providing services to the public to wear a mask, scarf, or handkerchief that covers both the mouth and nose.
In an effort to help residents in Gdynia remember the new rules, two Gdynia buses running on lines R and 141 have been decorated with their own protective masks and will display reminders to „Noś maskę” or „Wear a mask” and „Zakryj usta i nos” or „Cover your mouth and nose.”
The buses join a growing list of creative attempts by Gdynia authorities to encourage proactive health measures during the coronavirus pandemic. At the end of last week, the „faces” of Gdynia monuments were also covered with masks, and the city was one of the first in Poland to implement social distancing policies on public transit, well ahead of government regulations to that effect.
The special buses began circulating yesterday and are scheduled to continue running for at least the next two days.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
A good day for coronavirus patients in Pomerania
The efforts of Gdynia and other cities in the region must be having some effect as no new COVID-19 infections were reported in Pomerania yesterday while three more people joined the growing list of those who have overcome the virus.
As of this morning, 175 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in Pomerania; of that number, one person has died, 16 are currently hospitalized, 142 are in isolation, and 16 have recovered from the illness. An additional 1,165 people are in quarantine as of this morning, and nearly 1,901 are currently under epidemiological observation.
According to regional SANEPID Inspector Tomasz Augustyniak, the comparatively low numbers in Pomerania are a result of a lack of disease clusters in hospitals and fewer violations of current government restrictions, a trend Augustyniak encourages residents to continue.
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Weather
Today will be mostly cloudy with rain continuing into the early afternoon and a strong breeze blowing in from the west. Temperatures will peak around a high 11°C, or 52°F with a drop to 6°C or 42°F overnight. Clouds and windy weather will stick around tomorrow but sunny skies will return on Friday and last into the weekend.
RG
