Poland to reopen hotels, shopping malls on May 4

Polish hotels and shopping malls will reopen on May 4 and pre-schools will have the option to open on May 6, PM Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday. The largest economy in the European Union’s eastern wing  started relaxing some of its curbs on public life earlier in April, alongside other countries keen to prop up industry damaged by the pandemic.

Morawiecki also reaffirmed the government’s plan to hold a presidential election as scheduled on May 10, or with a delay of a couple of weeks at most, despite calls from opposition parties and others for a much longer delay.

Further steps to unfreeze the economy, including a reopening of restaurants, will be announced at a later date. Poles are still required to wear masks in public and schools will remain closed until May 24. The government has not given any indication when it might re-open the borders.

Poland, which has a population of 38 million, had reported 12,415 cases of the new coronavirus and 606 deaths as of Wednesday, Reuters said.