Due to rising numbers of COVID cases abroad, Poland has banned direct passenger flights to and from 30 countries under new rules that came into force today. Most notably, flights between Poland and France have now been suspended, while flights to Romania, Albania, Malta, and Kosovo, are allowed to resume. While the number of banned destinations has been cut from a previous 44, countries such as the United States, Spain, and Israel remain on the “no-fly” list. The new rules will be valid until September 29 and do not apply to some charter flights.
As of Tuesday, a total of 75,134 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Poland and 2,227 have died from the COVID-19 respiratory disease since the start of the pandemic.
Source: Radio Poland
Polish government approves minimum wage hike
The Polish government has approved a plan to increase the national monthly minimum wage from the current PLN 2 600 to PLN 2 800 (EUR 630, USD 750) starting January 1.
The approved increases mean the minimum hourly rate will go up from the current rate of PLN 17 per hour to PLN 18.30 per hour (EUR 4.10, USD 4.90), a marked improvement from the rate of PLN 14.70 a year ago.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, the ruling Law and Justice party had promised to increase the minimum monthly wage to PLN 3 000 by the end of 2020, plans that have been altered due to the current economic slowdown.
According to the Central Statistical Office (GUS), the Polish economy contracted 8.2 percent in the second quarter of this year, while the average gross Polish monthly wage in July was PLN 5,381.
Source: Radio Poland
Free concert to honor Witold Pilecki
The Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk is hosting a free concert of the band Luxtorpeda tomorrow evening to commemorate the first anniversary of the unveiling of a statue to “the informal patron of [the] museum,” Polish war hero Captain Witold Pilecki.
A veteran of numerous struggles for Polish independence, Pilecki is perhaps best known in the West as the author of Witold’s Report, the first comprehensive Allied intelligence report on the Auschwitz concentration camp and the Holocaust. Upon his return to communist Poland after WWII, Pilecki began collecting intelligence against the Soviet Union and was later arrested and executed by the Communists on May 25, 1948.
“Through his life and death, Captain Witold Pilecki tells the story of the two different totalitarian systems that impacted us,” explains Dr. Karol Nawrocki, director of the museum.
Due to ongoing coronavirus restrictions on public gatherings, tomorrow’s concert will be broadcast online at 20:00 on the profile pages of the Młodzi dla Polski Trójmiasto Foundation and the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Out of this world city game launches this week
Ergo Arena is inviting local residents to get lost in space with a unique augmented reality game this week. Using smartphones, players will have two hours to explore various areas of Ergo Arena as a scientist, mechanic, astronaut, or space marine while they seek to unravel the mystery of the space research station “NVC Poseidon.”
The game will be offered in four sessions starting today at 18:00 and 20:00 and again on Friday September 18, at 19:00 and 21:00. Tickets are limited and can be purchased online for 15 PLN for holders of the Gdańsk or Sopot Resident Cards.
For more information on the game, visit https://app.evenea.pl/organizator/nevice-sp-z-o-o-292615
Source: gdansk.pl
Today will once again be hot and mostly sunny, with a light breeze coming in from the west, and a slight chance of rain overnight. Temperatures will be slightly cooler than yesterday with a high of 27°C, or 80°F, and an overnight low of 12°C or 53°F. While the sunshine will stick around through the weekend, temperatures tomorrow will remain on the cool side throughout the day.
Elizabeth Peck
