Coronavirus infection rates are continuing to fall, with 140 new cases reported on Monday, including just 6 in Pomerania. It’s the lowest daily total since last summer before the autumn wave of the virus struck the country. According to the Ministry of Health, the 24-hours to Monday saw no deaths as a direct result of the virus, though one person is reported to have died with comorbidities.
The news comes as Poland nears 10 million fully vaccinated people. According to official figures, just under 24.5 million doses had been administered as of Monday, including 15 million first doses.
9.7 million had been fully immunised with either two doses of the Pfizer, Moderna, or AstraZeneca jabs, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Elsewhere in the fight against the pandemic, the UK has delayed the final stage of its plan to lift all social distancing rules by four weeks. Prime Minister Boris Johnson made the announcement yesterday, pointing to the emergence of the Delta variant of the virus and concern that it is more contagious.
In recent days, the UK has seen a spike in infections rates, mostly with the Delta variant and mostly in unvaccinated people. However, there has so far not been a major spike in hospitalisations or deaths.
Announcing the delay on Monday, PM Johnson said the four weeks would allow for more people to be vaccinated and protected against the virus.
A new integrated fare system is set to bring major changes to Pomeranian public transport. The new 'FALA’ (or 'wave’) system would see tickets for all public transport in the province – including trains, trams, and buses – brought together under one combined fare system.
FALA could also introduce modern features like tap-in/tap-out payment similar to that seen in major cities’ transit systems like the London Underground or New York Subway.
Provincial officials signed a contract for the introduction of FALA with a consortium of Polish and Italian companies on Monday at the Gdansk Jasień PKM station.
The FALA system is set to begin operation mid-2022.
Poland’s footballers got off to a rocky start in their first match of the Euro 2020 tournament, losing 2-1 to Slovakia. Yesterday’s match in St Petersburg started with the Poles on the offensive but Slovak goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka wasn’t letting anything past him.
By half-time, the Slovaks were 1-0 up but just seconds into the second half Poland equalised and it looked like the game could end in a draw.
But with 30 minutes left to play, the match swung in Slovakia’s favour as Polish midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak was sent off with a red card after a questionable challenge on Slovakia’s Jakub Hromada.
Just minutes later the Slovaks took the lead and finished the game 2-1.
The win puts Slovakia top of the group for the time being with 3 points. Spain and Sweden stand at 1 point each after a draw. Poland at the bottom of the group has yet to score a point.
Their next fixture is on Saturday against Spain – ranked sixth in the world.
Leaders of the NATO alliance meeting in Brussels have warned of a growing military threat posed by China. In a communiqué published online following yesterday’s meeting, the alliance claimed China was „rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal” and „cooperating militarily with Russia”.
In response, China’s Mission to the EU issued a statement dismissing the warning „slander” and insisting that Chinese defence policy was „defensive in nature”. The Mission, which represents China in Brussels, also pointed out that total NATO defence spending exceeds China’s five-fold, with 20 times as many nuclear weapons.
Monday’s summit was the alliance’s 31st formal meeting, with 30 member states from Europe and North America including the US, UK, and Poland. The meeting covered a range of topics including Russia & China as well as climate change and COVID-19.
The meeting also saw the Polish and US presidents meet. According to a senior government aide, Polish President Andrzej Duda held bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden at yesterday’s meeting, focusing on security in Eastern Europe and Polish-American cooperation.
For President Biden, the summit comes ahead of a highly anticipated meeting with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Geneva tomorrow.
Weather
A cloudier start to the day today but clearing up mid-afternoon with plenty of sunshine later in the day.
Temperatures today a pleasant 20°C, 68°F, with light winds and no rain or storms expected.
Tomorrow looking bright and sunny but remaining mild for this time of year. Heating up later in the week though with temperatures expected to surge into the high 20s Celsius, possibly reaching the 30°C, 86°F, by the weekend.
