Poland may face fourth wave of pandemic in late August - health min

Polish health minister has said that the fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic may hit the country in the second half of August.

"Now we have a peak of infections in Great Britain... We may see the fourth wave in the second half of August," Adam Niedzielski said on Tuesday.

He added that Poles may have to get used to wearing face masks in confined spaces.

"If this temporary increase in the infections were to take place in September ... the masks would remain as a necessary restriction," Niedzielski said.

He added that vaccination against Covid-19 would be free of charge until the end of September.

"We guarantee the vaccination conditions will not change until the end of September, so anyone who wants to be vaccinated until the end of September will be able to do so under the current conditions," he said.

Niedzielski also said that Poland is considering making vaccination obligatory for those who are most at risk from Covid-19, such as health service workers and senior citizens.