Shopping malls, museums and art galleries around Poland will be allowed to reopen from February 1st , officials said on Thursday amid signs of a let-up in the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic.

But most restrictions imposed by the government in its battle against the coronavirus will remain in place until February 14th, the Polish Health Minister told reporters. He told a press conference that the epidemic in Poland „seems to be stabilized at the moment,” but pointed to two risks: the spread of the pandemic internationally and new mutations of the coronavirus.

Source – Polskie Radio

Scuffles outside Poland’s constitutional court amid protest at abortion laws

Police have detained three people who broke into the grounds of Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal on Thursday evening during a protest against tightening the country’s abortion laws. Scuffles broke out as demonstrators tried to break through a cordon which police formed around them outside the court buildings in Warsaw. Flares were thrown into the court’s grounds and red paint was poured out in front of its entrance. The demonstrations were sparked by a ruling from the Constitutional Tribunal, the country’s top court, restricting access to abortion. The court’s detailed verdict was published in an official gazette on Wednesday night, a step necessary for it to take effect.

Source – Polskie Radio

Poland’s Hojnisz wins European gold on home snow

Home favourite Monika Hojnisz-Staręga took the gold in the women’s 15 km individual race at the European Biathlon Championships in Duszniki-Zdrój, south western Poland, on Wednesday. The 29-year-old Pole hit 19 of 20 targets and finished 2.9 seconds ahead of clean-shooting Ukrainian Anastasiya Merkushyna, who claimed the silver. Russia’s Larisa Kuklina came in third, with one missed target, 15.5 seconds behind Hojnisz-Staręga. Hojnisz-Staręga is a leading light of Polish biathlon after several team-mates retired from competitive sports in recent years.

Source – Polskie Radio

Gdańsk remembers astronomer Heweliusz

And finally, Gdańsk is marking the 410th anniversary of the birth of famous astronomer Jan Heweliusz. A wide range of events, including competitions and workshops, are planned for the coming months. They will focus on various aspects of Heweliusz’s interests which, aside from astronomy, included mathematics, engineering and the art of brewing. A live astronomical presentation of the night sky is scheduled for Saturday. The events are organised by the Hevelianum, one of the city’s cultural institutions. Heweliusz was born in Gdańsk on January 28th 1611. He came from a German-speaking family of wealthy brewing merchants of Bohemian origin, but considered himself part of the Polish world.

Source – Polskie Radio

Weather

Today will be a cloudy day with a moderate breeze and temperatures of 2 degrees centigrade (36 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day, dropping to -3 degrees overnight. Tomorrow there will be sunny spells and light snow showers throughout the day and temperatures of freezing point during the day and -4 degrees overnight.
That was the Radio Gdańsk English news and weather.

Martin Caren/mw