Getting back to normal! Bars, cafes and restaurants to reopen and no more facemasks in the streets as Govt. says lockdown restrictions to be lifted
A raft of measures announced on Wednesday will see shopping centres reopening and bars and cafes opening outdoor seating in a move to ease lockdown restrictions.
Mateusz Morawiecki told a press conference that the economy will be reactivated gradually, and said that shopping malls, art galleries, museums and building material and furniture stores will reopen on May 4.
Hotels will be able to resume operations on May 8 but only at 50-percent capacity, restaurants and cafes on May 15 but only for customers sitting outside, Morawiecki said.
From April 4 shopping malls, art galleries, museums and building material and furniture stores will reopen.
From May 1, some outdoor and indoor sport activities will be allowed, but with a 50-person limit, Morawiecki said.
The PM said: "From May 1, we will allow some outdoor sport activities, and also gyms and swimming pools to open.
"May 4 will see the resumption of shopping malls, building stores, and furniture stores."
May 15 will also see lifting of facemasks in public.
He added that larger outdoor events like weddings will be permitted from May 15, but with a 25-person attendance limit.
He also said that children in grades one to three will return to school from May 4, while grades four to eight and secondary school pupils will continue learning in a hybrid regime.
All school children, however, will return to regular classes on May 29.
Mateusz Morawiecki told a press conference that the economy will be reactivated gradually, and said that shopping malls, art galleries, museums and building material and furniture stores will reopen on May 4.
Health minister Adam Niedzielski said on Wednesday that the current 5,000 new COVID-19 infections a day is a sign of stability.
He added that the rate at which restrictions are eased will also depend on the situation in the country's hospitals.
Speaking at a press conference outlining the government's plans for relaxing lockdown restrictions he said: "Above all, the plan we have presented is comprehensive, also based on an infection forecast we have, and based on a fundamental assumption, that the rate we are observing and the tempo of infection reduction is very high and that it will, of course, be maintained and will gradually fade away so that in mid-May we will have an infection count below 5,000 a day.
Health minister Adam Niedzielski announced that from May 15, face masks would no longer be mandatory in public places.
"This is a kind of indicator of the stability of this plan."
He added that the process of easing restrictions is also dependent on the functioning of hospitals, pointing out that almost 26,000 people are currently hospitalised, representing 3,000 more than at the peak of the second wave.
Niedzielski also announced that from May 15, face masks would no longer be mandatory in public places.
He said: "May 15 is also a very important date because from that time we will propose a measure that masks will not have to be worn outside, of course, as long a distance of a metre and a half is maintained, as is required.”
