Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin said on Tuesday he wanted all retail outlets, gyms, and restaurant gardens to be allowed to reopen from May 4.
Gowin, who is also minister of development, labor, and technology, added that he supported allowing hotels to open to half capacity on the same date. He said he would propose such moves at a meeting of a government crisis management team on Wednesday.

Poland on Tuesday reported 5,709 new coronavirus infections and 460 additional deaths, bringing the country’s total number of cases during the pandemic to over 2.7 million (2,768,034) and fatalities to nearly 66,000 (65,897).

Update: The official schedule for loosening restrictions is now available: https://www.gov.pl/web/koronawirus/w-maju-lagodniejsze-zasady-bezpieczenstwa–jesli-utrzyma-sie-niski-wskaznik-zakazen-sprawdz-harmonogram-zmian

Source: Radio Poland, KPRM

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda next week in Warsaw against the backdrop of increasing tensions with Russia.

According to state news agency PAP, Zelenskiy will be attending celebrations marking the 230th anniversary of the historic Polish constitution of 1791 during his visit.

Duda is scheduled to return the favor with a visit to Ukraine for Ukrainian Independence Day on August 24th, according to Krzysztof Szczerski, a senior aide to the Polish president and the head of a new International Policy Office in Poland.

Poland’s top diplomat, Zbigniew Rau, called for the EU to “take concrete steps to support Ukraine” as Russia massed forces near Ukraine’s eastern border and Crimea. Moscow began a troop pullback last week, but tensions in the region remain high.

Source: Radio Poland, Reuters

A 24-year-old Polish entrepreneur from Lublin has successfully created a bio-wallet implant that will allow Poles to “pay with their palms” rather than by card, cash, or mobile.

Until recently the stuff of science-fiction, the new “wallet of tomorrow” implant from Wojtek Paprota, “Walletmor” can be used for safe, contactless payments at any sales point.

The cutting-edge technology is based on a microchip that looks like a tiny safety pin—0.5 mm thick, 7 mm wide, and 28 mm long—that is implanted under the skin, preferably in the area of the palm.

The joint British-Polish venture is already working on increasing the implant’s functionality so that it can be used to open the doors of cars, houses, and even hotel rooms in the future.

Source: Radio Poland

Police officers in Starogard Gdański recently interrupted a wedding celebration being held at a restaurant in violation of current COVID-19 restrictions.

After being notified of plans for the illicit party, police entered the restaurant where the reception was being hosted and discovered 14 people inside. according to Marcin Kunka, a press officer for the Starogard Gdański police, the officers issued fines to all the participants, including the bride and groom, along with the manager of the premises.

The Ministry of Health was also notified, and the manager is now being investigated for potentially endangering the life or health of several people, an offense that can carry up to eight years in prison.

Source: Radio Gdańsk

Police in Warsaw blocked off a major traffic artery yesterday to allow a family of ducks to cross safely.

Footage taken by private television broadcaster Polsat shows a family of goosanders, a medium-sized duck species, waddling across Wisłostrada, one of Warsaw’s busiest roads, while police and city patrol officers direct traffic.

At this time of year, goosanders migrate from Warsaw’s Royal Łazienki Park to the Vistula River, where they raise their ducklings. All 13 members of the goosander family reportedly made it safely across the Wisłostrada on their way to the river.

Source: Radio Poland

Weather

Today will be partly cloudy but warmer than yesterday, with a slight breeze coming in from the northeast and very little chance of rain. Temperatures will peak at a high of 11°C, or 51°F, dropping to a low of 4°C or 40°F overnight. Cloudy, wet weather is expected to return tomorrow and Friday, with a chance for some sun again on Saturday.

EPeck