Health Minister Adam Niedzielski announced the decision at a news conference on Wednesday, telling press that the third wave of the epidemic was beginning to pass but that it was continuing to challenge Poland’s healthcare system.

Restrictions will now be lifted no earlier than April 25th. Non-essential shops, beauty services like hairdressers, and cultural sites including museums, art galleries, cinemas, and theatres will all remain closed. Restaurants and cafes will continue to serve take-out only.

Hotels and other vacation accommodation are expected to stay closed until May 3rd.

But there is some good news, as nurseries and preschools will be able to reopen for all families from Monday. Under current rules, nurseries and preschools are only open to the children of military and emergency services personnel.

Some outdoor sport will also be allowed, with open-air facilities including football fields, tennis courts, and athletics tracks able to reopen from Monday 17th. Indoor sports are set to remain closed until April 25th at the earliest.

The announcement comes as daily case numbers in Poland remain high but continue to fall steadily. 21,283 cases were reported on Wednesday, with 803 people dying.

In related news, Poland is today set to surpass 8 million vaccinations against COVID-19, with the first shipments of the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines arriving in the country.

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine continued to escalate yesterday as both nations held simultaneous military exercises.

Tensions in the region have been raised recently amidst what appears to be a build up of Russian troops and weapons on Ukraine’s eastern border.

Speaking as a guest to the European Parliament in Brussels, Ukraine’s Defence Minister Andrii Taran claimed Russia had amassed more than 100,000 troops at the border, though he presented no evidence to support the claim.

Leaders in the NATO alliance, including US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have called on Russia to back down. Russia, meanwhile, has claimed the troops are there for a snap military drill and has accused NATO, of which Poland is a member, of turning eastern Ukraine into „Europe’s powder keg”.

The heightened tensions have raised concerns that conflict could break out between the two countries, which have been at odds since Russian-backed militias in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine rebelled and formed self-declared „peoples’ republics” in 2014. That year also saw Russia directly annex Crimean peninsula from Ukraine.

However, experts argue it is unlikely Russia is planning an invasion of Ukraine, and the troop build-up is most likely an attempt to test Ukraine’s and NATO’s nerve.

Gdansk’s famous Amber Museum has officially left its old home at the Foregate as it starts its move to a newly-renovated site at the Great Mill.

For 15 years, the Gdansk Amber Museum has housed some of the city’s – and the world’s – most beautiful, valuable, and historic pieces of Amber craftsmanship and art. In more than 2000 exhibits and over 100 temporary exhibitions, the museum has told the story of the Baltic’s most famous export.

But in recent years the museum has outgrown its home at the Foregate, which once housed the city’s torture chamber. A new facility – built inside what used to be the city’s grain mill – has been under construction since 2018 and is now almost ready to accommodate the museum’s collection.

Photos from inside the new site, posted by Gdansk Mayor Aleksandra Dulkiewicz on Instagram, show an open, modern interior among the medieval walls of the 14th century mill.

The Amber Museum is set to reopen in its new spot in July.

An amber-studded facemask has been added to the museum’s collection to commemorate the museum’s move.

Weather

Thursday afternoon to be cloudy with showers hanging around into the evening. Gusty winds making for a chilly, blustery day, with highs of only 5/6C, around 42F. Largely the same picture for tomorrow, with plenty of rain and wind on the way over the coming days.

On a brighter side, that chilly northerly wind is bringing some fresh, clean air down from the Baltic, with a good air quality index along the coast today.

Thomas Holdstock/ako