The Polish government has announced it will reopen its EU borders on Saturday, with international flights following on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Poland needs to restore trade links with the rest of Europe.
He added, „We are at an important moment in the battle against coronavirus… We don’t know what the situation will be in a month, two or three. But today we can say that we are managing risk in the right way.”
Poland’s borders have been closed to all but Polish residents since March 15th in an attempt to prevent the spread of coronavirus cases to the country. Now though, as EU countries have mostly managed to control their epidemics, countries have begun reopening borders.
Other borders, including land borders with Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, are set to stay closed for the time being.
From Tuesday, international flights will also be reopening, though only to EU countries.
It’s understood borders will remain closed to countries outside the Schengen area, presumably including the United Kingdom.
New Zealand has become the first country in the World to be declared free of Covid-19 as the country reports zero known cases of the virus.
The country lifted all of its domestic lockdown measures earlier this week, though international border controls remain in place. New Zealanders are now once again free to move and gather without social distancing restrictions.
New Zealand was quick to close international borders on March 25th and has since been extremely effective in finding and isolating cases.
Speaking at a press conference revealing the country was virus-free, a visibly delighted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was so happy when she found out that she „did a little dance”.
Christians across Poland and around the World are today marking the feast of Corpus Christi.
Corpus Christi, „Boże Ciało” in Polish, celebrates the blood and body of Jesus in the Eucharist and is a public holiday in many predominantly Catholic countries.
In Poland, the day is usually marked by bright and colourful processions through town and villages, along with folk costumes and local traditions. One of the most eye-catching Boże Ciało celebrations is undoubtedly the Kashubian tradition of the bowing feretons, in which a group of people carry on their shoulders a large framed holy image. They then perform a series of gestures, vigorously waving the image around in various patterns including bowing the image and making the sign of the cross.
British supermarket chain Marks and Spencer is to return to Poland after a three-year absence.
M&S previously had stores in Poland up until 2017, when the stores were closed as the company cut costs.
This time though, there won’t be any physical store. Instead, M&S products will be available to buy via the online supermarket Frisco.pl.
Frisco, which primarily serves the Warsaw area, is reportedly to sell British products including marmalade, biscuits, and most importantly tea.
Trams are set to run once again Stogi beach this summer as months of renovation works come to an end.
The first test tram successful ran the full route from Gdansk city centre to Stogi yesterday morning, clearing the way for passenger services to begin within the month.
It’s in time for the summer holidays, when Stogi becomes a favourite destination of beachgoers.
The news comes ahead of another new tram route opening on Paweł Adamowicz Avenue later this month. Combined, the opening of the two routes will significantly extend the tram network.
But it’s not just new tracks, Gdansk has also been taking delivery of a fleet of new trams, including the delivery last week of a special green a white painted tram showing support for the Lechia Gdańsk football team.
Weather
Remaining mostly cloudy as we go into the afternoon with a chance of some rain in places. Clearing up later in the afternoon, making way for a mostly cloudy but dry day tomorrow. Temperatures reaching about 19°C, that’s 67°F.
