Poland has declared a „state of epidemic” giving the authorities extra powers as they battle to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the country’s prime minister said yesterday evening. The government announced that fines for anyone breaking coronavirus quarantine rules would be increased to PLN 30,000 from PLN 5,000 . At a press conference, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also said that a two-week closure of the country’s schools, introduced earlier this month, would be extended until Easter. The number of Covid-19 cases in Poland rose to 425, with the death toll at five, officials said. The Polish Health Minister has warned the number of coronavirus cases in the country could surpass 10,000. President Duda has urged Poles to stay home. During a televised address yesterday he said, “Let’s not put our health and our life at risk, or that of others. Let’s remember the experience of other countries: a rapidly growing number of infections and illnesses is always the result of recklessness and disregard for basic safety rules.”

Source – Polskie Radio

Nearly half a million litres of confiscated vodka and rectified spirit will be sent to Polish public institutions in need of disinfectant amid the coronavirus outbreak, Poland’s prosecutor’s office said on Friday. Two hospitals in the Polish city of Olsztyn have already received 1,500 litres of rectified spirit, the government said in a separate statement. Rectified spirit, which can contain around 95% alcohol, is sold for individual consumption in Poland but is only available in many other countries for commercial purposes.

Source – Reuters

Builders in Poland have been busy at the start of 2020, completing almost 3.5 percent more homes in the first two months of this year than in the same period in 2019 according to the country’s Central Statistical Office. Data from the office also shows that builders in Poland completed nearly 207,500 new homes throughout last year, 12 percent more than in 2018. Despite Poland building more housing than any other Central European country, there is still a shortage of around 2.1 million housing units in Poland, according to estimates by real estate experts HRE Think Tank.

Source – PolskieRadio.pl

And finally, a teacher from Sopot has made it on to a list of 50 educators from across the world vying for the 2020 Global Teacher Prize. A $1 million prize is awarded annually to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession. The 50 finalists have been selected from among over 12,000 applications from 140 countries. The winner will be announced at a gala ceremony in London in October.

Source – Polskie Radio

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