According to the Polish Ministry of Health, 10 additional patients have died due to complications from COVID-19, bringing the country’s total to 26. With the exception of a 32-year-old woman from Łancut, the patients were all over 65, with the youngest being a 67-year-old man from Warsaw and the oldest an 89-year-old man from Myślenice. All were reportedly suffering from underlying medical conditions. As of 9:30 this morning, there are 1,905 diagnosed cases in Poland, mostly in the provinces of Mazowieckie and Śląskie (Silesia).

Poland has been in a “state of epidemic” since March 20, with the Polish government announcing additional social distancing measures March 24 in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus.

Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Gliński announced on Polsat News this weekend that the government would be unveiling “more stringent administrative provisions” pertaining to shops and jobs sometime later this week.

Source: Ministerstwo Zdrowia, Radio Gdańsk

Local government official diagnosed with COVID-19

Among the 13 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Pomerania over the weekend was that of Mieczysław Struk, Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Via a post on Facebook, Struk described his symptoms as “relatively mild” and “resembling a common cold.” Per SANEPID guidelines, he and his wife are self-quarantined at home, where Struk will be continuing to fulfill his duties by working remotely.

Some 47 employees of the Marshal’s office are reportedly in quarantine as well, and the Pomorskie Urząd Wojewódzki will be closed today for decontamination. In his message, Struk issued an appeal to all residents of Pomerania to “stay home and limit contacts. As you can see, the virus can surprise anyone.”

Source: Radio Gdańsk

Legendary Polish composer passes away in Warsaw

Condolences are pouring in from around the world after one of Poland’s “greatest living composers,” maestro Krzysztof Penderecki, passed away yesterday morning at the age of 86.

Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, who several years ago collaborated with Penderecki on a series of concerts, wrote in a tweet that “Penderecki was the greatest—a fiercely creative composer, and a gentle, warm-hearted man. My condolences to his family, and to Poland on this huge loss to the musical world.”

Despite making his home in the south of Poland, Penderecki’s “roots” in Gdańsk and Pomerania “are very deep,” reaching back all the way to the 1950s when the composer worked with Teatr Wybrzeże, and culminating with his honorary doctorate from the Music Academy in Gdańsk in 2008. “Gdańsk is the only city in the world for which I wrote three songs,” he explained in an interview at the time. “I didn’t write anything for Kraków. I could go to Bermuda, but I still choose Jastrzębia (Góra).”

In addition to well-known compositions like “Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima” and music for films like “The Exorcist,” “The Shining,” and Andrzej Wajda’s “Katyń,” Penderecki was also commissioned to write pieces for the American Bicentennial, the Olympic Games in Munich, and the 3000-year-anniversary of the city of Jerusalem.

It was announced earlier this morning that Penderecki would be laid to rest with honors in Poland’s National Pantheon, the burial site for the most outstanding figures in Polish culture and science.

Source: Radio Poland, Dziennik Bałtycki

Polish doctors fly to Italy to lend a helping hand

In a show of European solidarity, a group of 15 Polish doctors and paramedics are due to set out today from Warsaw to help fight coronavirus in the northern Italian region of Lombardy.

Italy has been the hardest-hit country in Europe, with Italian officials reporting over 10,000 (10,779) deaths from COVID-19 as of this morning–more than a third of all deaths from the virus worldwide.

For the next 10 days, the Polish team will assist local staff in treating COVID-19 patients, providing some relief for overwhelmed doctors while gaining valuable experience in fighting the disease. Upon their return, the group will be required to spend 14 days in quarantine.

Source: Radio Poland

For updated information on these or other stories, follow us on Twitter at @RadioGdańskNews

Weather
Today will be partly cloudy and cool with a chance of rain later in the afternoon and a light breeze coming in from the northwest. Temperatures will peak around a high of 6°C, or 42°F with temps dropping slightly below zero again with some potential chance for snow flurries overnight. Tomorrow is set to remain partly cloudy and cool with the weather set to warm up as the week progresses.

RG