Coronavirus: government introduces further restrictions

Wpis dostępny jest także w języku: polski

On 31 March 2020, in response to the coronavirus epidemic in Poland, the government announced the introduction of further restrictions aimed at halting the increase in the number of infections. Among other things, a limit of people allowed to be in the shop at the same time was introduced and DIY and home improvement shops were closed on weekends.

Fewer people in shops, construction shops closed on weekends

Due to the arrival of coronavirus in Poland, the government in mid-March started introducing restrictions aimed at slowing down the development of the epidemic. Educational establishments were closed, then the activity of the restaurants was limited to providing services only in delivery or take-away, and all shops in shopping malls, except for groceries, pharmacies and drugstores, were closed.

On 31 March, further restrictions on the operation of shops and service outlets were announced, including the following:

• The maximum number of persons per checkout is three (all checkouts, including those which are out of operation),
  at marketplaces and bazaars, the rule applies – three customers per point of sale,
  Large DIY and home improvement stores will be closed on weekends,
  Between 10 am and 12 pm, shops and service points are to be open only to persons over 65 years old,
  Since 2 April, the obligation to wear disposable gloves before entering the store was introduced,
  All cosmetic, hairdressing, tattoo parlours, massage and rehabilitation facilities, etc. are closed,
  hotels and other accommodation (except for quarantine facilities, not applicable to persons on business trips) are also closed from 2 April,
  The employees of service points and petrol stations were obliged to disinfect the counter after each served customer.

In addition, it was introduced:

• a prohibition on leaving home without a guardian for persons under 18 years old,
  ban on the use of parks, boulevards, beaches, promenades, zoos, botanical gardens, etc. and city bikes,
  the obligation for pedestrians to maintain a minimum distance of two metres (this also applies to families, except for parents with children up to 13 years old and disabled persons and their carers),
  The passenger limit has been extended to private transport,
  new obligations for employers (including the provision of a distance of 1.5 metres between workers’ positions, the obligation for workers to wear gloves and to provide access to disinfectants).Previously introduced restrictions are also in force, such as, for example, the ban on organising gatherings and other meetings of more than two people, limitation of the activity of galleries and shopping centres, the ban on foreigners entering Poland (with exceptions), closure of educational institutions (introduction of remote teaching), limitation of the activity of catering facilities to transport and take-away services, closure of cultural institutions.