The Polish government has announced it will speed up the timeline for reopening the economy. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced the new schedule at a press conference on Wednesday.
Under the accelerated timeline, cinemas, theatres, and concert halls are set to reopen on May 21st – 8 days earlier than previously planned. Gyms and swimming pools will reopen 1 day earlier than planned, on May 28th. The 28th will also see restaurants able to reopen for indoor dining.
The changes come amid a sharp fall in case numbers as the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic eases.
On Wednesday, Poland confirmed 4,255 new cases – down from a peak of more than 30,000 per day in March at the height of the third wave.
Deaths on Wednesday stood at 343, though the daily average has begun to fall following the drop in new cases.
16-17 year-olds are set to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
Prime Minister Morawiecki announced this week that vaccination would open to 16 and 17 year-olds. The PM did not offer a timeline but mentioned that the government was looking to extend the vaccination programme to younger age groups in the near future.
Currently, only the Pfizer vaccine is authorised by the EU for use on over-16s.
In related news, new figures from the Pomeranian provincial government show the province leads the way in vaccination efforts in Poland.
Just under 953,000 Pomeranians have received at least one dose of a vaccine – at just over 50% of the adult population, it puts the province top of the table in Poland.
Two Gdansk police officers are facing charges of abuse of power after they allegedly broke police misconduct regulations multiple times.
According to a spokesperson for the Gdansk District Prosecutor, the two officers – one of whom works at the city police headquarters – were detained by the Police service’s own Internal Affairs Office.
One of the officers is accused of disclosing confidential material and, if found guilty, could face up to three years in prison.
The second officer faces a total of thirteen charges, including eleven allegations of unauthorised use of police databases as well as one count of violation of bodily integrity (roughly equivalent to battery in English common law) and one count of unlawfully influencing criminal proceedings.
If found guilty, the officer could face up to five years in prison.
Both officers deny the allegations.
Polish eagles could soon be flying over the English countryside under so-called „re-wilding” initiatives.
The plans, organised by the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation would see White-tailed eagles from habitats in Poland moved to Norfolk in eastern England in an attempt to revive the area’s eagle population.
White-tailed eagles, also known as sea eagles, once lived across the British Isles but were hunted to near extinction in the 18th century, only surviving in the far north of Scotland. But in recent years, efforts to bring back the eagles has seen huge success with dozens of breeding pairs now living in Scotland and the Isle of Wight.
The Polish eagles are set to arrive in their new home next year, where they will become the area’s largest bird of prey.
Weather
Another bright, sunny day with plenty of sunshine. Temperatures today a bit cooler than earlier in the week at around 18C, 66F, with a light breeze. Clouding over somewhat going into tomorrow and feeling noticeably cooler as we head towards the weekend.
Radio Gdansk News/Thomas Holdstock
