Poland To Loosen Mask Requirements For People Going Outside, Social Distancing Remains

Sumaira FH Published May 27, 2020 | 06:39 PM

Poland will allow people to go outside without wearing protective masks starting on Saturday if they maintain a social distance of two meters (6.6 feet), Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday

WARSAW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th May, 2020) Poland will allow people to go outside without wearing protective masks starting on Saturday if they maintain a social distance of two meters (6.6 feet), Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday.

Polish residents have been required to wear masks or shawls covering their mouth and nose in public places since mid-April due to the coronavirus outbreak.

"We can move on to the next stage of lifting restrictions," Morawiecki said at a news conference.

If people fail to maintain a two-meter distance from each other, wearing masks will be mandatory, Morawiecki noted.

Wearing masks will also continue to be required in grocery stores and other public places.

According to the prime minister, cinemas, swimming pools and theaters will reopen on June 6 as part of the gradual easing of restrictions. Night clubs, however, will remain closed.

Culture and National Heritage Minister Piotr Glinski added at the briefing that although cinemas will reopen, their occupancy should not exceed 50 percent of the seats available. The number of visitors attending outdoor concerts should also not exceed 150 people.

Polish Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski, in turn, noted that the loosening of the restrictive measures was made possible because hospitals are well prepared for treating COVID-19 patients.

"Today, about 80 percent of beds and more than 90 percent of ventilators are vacant," Szumowski said, adding that this did not mean the epidemic was over.

Poland has so far confirmed 22,303 coronavirus cases, and the death toll stands at 1,025, according to the country's Health Ministry. A total of 2,320 people have been hospitalized, 79,007 are in self-isolation and 10,330 patients have fully recovered.