Poland reintroduces nationwide lockdown as COVID-19 numbers soar

Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-18 04:32:08|Editor: huaxia

WARSAW, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The Polish government said on Wednesday that it will reintroduce a full nationwide lockdown on Saturday after the number of reported COVID-19 cases topped 25,000 on Wednesday.

In total, 25,052 new coronavirus cases have been registered in 24 hours, the highest number since Nov. 7 last year, when 27,875 new cases were confirmed in a single day. Since the start of the pandemic in March last year, 1,956,974 Poles have tested positive at one point, government statistics show. A total of 48,032 people have lost their lives to the virus.

"We are losing control over how the pandemic is developing," President Andrzej Duda said in parliament hours before the lockdown was officially announced. "The situation is bad, and containing it is now of fundamental importance."

According to reports, the coronavirus variant which was first detected in the United Kingdom is now the dominant strain in Poland, accounting for 52 percent of the newly reported cases. According to researchers, this mutation is more infectious than the original strain, and also more deadly.

The restrictive measures already in force in four Polish provinces hit the hardest -- including Mazovia, where the capital Warsaw is located -- will from Saturday be extended to the entire country until at least April 9. Hotels will not be allowed to take non-business guests, and cinemas, theaters, museums, swimming pools, skiing slopes and non-essential stores in shopping malls will be shut down. .

Schoolchildren in grades 1-3 would be switched to remote learning until April 9 - this rule has already been in place for older students. Nurseries and kindergartens will be allowed to remain open, however.

Churches in the majority Roman Catholic country may also continue to admit one person per 15 square meters.

Over 4.6 million Poles had received at least one vaccine dose by Wednesday. Poland is one of a number of European countries that have decided against suspending the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to reports of health issues linked to the jab.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in an increasing number of countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 264 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 82 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain, and the United States, according to information released by the World Health Organization on March 16. Enditem

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