The National Cultural Center of Poland joined cultural institutions worldwide yesterday in marking the 22nd annual “International Mother Language Day.”
This year’s theme, “Fostering Multilingualism for Social Inclusion and Against Exclusion in Education,” highlights the role of both mother tongues and multilingualism in fostering social inclusion and education for all.
According to UNESCO, Polish is spoken by over 45 million people, placing it among the world’s top 25 most popular languages. Poland itself is also home to several additional languages, including the traditional regional languages of Silesian, Kashubian, and Rusyn.
First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda, who hosted a debate at the Presidential Palace on “Language during the Pandemic” yesterday, emphasized how COVID-19 has affected all areas of our lives, including language. As evidence, she pointed to the winner of this year’s choice for new Polish word: “coronavirus.”
The full debate can be viewed online at www.prezydent.pl.
Polish health officials are appealing to residents to “behave responsibly” as COVID-19 cases continue to rise after restrictions were eased earlier this month.
“You could say that we are at the beginning of a third wave,” spokesman Wojciech Andrusiewicz told reporters on Friday, going on to warn that a previous drop in infections had “slightly lulled our social vigilance.”
His words were echoed by those of Health Minister Adam Niedzielski, who confirmed that health authorities are considering recommending more effective face protection masks.
The move comes in response to the recent confirmation of the more infectious British and South African coronavirus mutations in Poland. According to Niedzielski, the Polish government “want[s] to eliminate the use of makeshift face coverings like plastic face shields, scarves or bandanas, which do not guarantee enough protection.”
On Sunday, Poland reported 7,038 new coronavirus infections and 94 more deaths, bringing the total number of cases to 1,638,767 and fatalities to 42,171.
A plane carrying a fresh supply of around 390,000 doses of the Pfizer/ BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrived early this morning in Warsaw.
The shipment was transferred to a Material Reserves Agency warehouse, from where it will be distributed to pharmaceutical wholesalers and then to hospitals and vaccination sites across the country.
According to health officials, nearly 2.7 million COVID-19 vaccine shots have been administered in Poland as of yesterday.
Today is the last day for Gdynia residents to submit project proposals for consideration in this year’s Gdynia Civic Budget (Budżet Obywatelski Gdynia 2021).
Some PLN 11 million will be allocated for projects, with a focus this year on green projects relating to climate change and environmental protection.
According to city officials, only 70 proposals had been received as of Friday, a marked decline from 2020, in which 269 district and 13 citywide projects were submitted.
The deadline for submissions is tonight at 23.59; those projects that pass the verification stage will be announced in mid-May, and the vote itself will take place in the second and third week of June.
For details on how you can apply, visit https://www.bo.gdynia.pl/.
Weather
Today kicks off a week of sunshine and warmer temps, with a gentle breeze coming in from the southeast and very little chance of rain or snow. Temperatures will stay above freezing during the day, with a high of 4°C, or 39°F, dropping to -1°C or 31°F overnight. Skies will remain mostly clear into tomorrow, with temperatures increasing as the week progresses.
Elizabet Peck/ako
