Poland to reopen shopping malls next week despite surge in Covid-19 cases

Shopping centers across Poland will be allowed to reopen next week despite a recent surge in coronavirus cases, PM Mateusz Morawiecki has said, insisting the move would save “hundreds of thousands” of jobs.

Warsaw is planning to loosen some of the restrictions it introduced earlier this month in wake of an explosive surge in coronavirus cases, Morawiecki revealed during a press briefing on Saturday.Shopping malls will be allowed to reopen starting from November 28, enabling retailers to reap profits ahead of Christmas holidays.

“There is one condition ... the discipline of every shop, mall, furniture store. If not, these stores will be closed,” Morawiecki said, adding that such a move was crucial for the country's economy.

These decisions can save hundreds of thousands of jobs, which is why we are taking them.

At the same time, the PM warned Poles against spending their Christmas holidays traveling, urging them to stay home and limit their contacts only to their closest family members. The government is currently working on new restrictions to limit potential travel during holidays, Morawiecki said.

“Reducing contacts is fundamental for the further development of the pandemic. We are working on legal options to limit movement,” he added.

Up until late September, Poland enjoyed a very stable coronavirus situation with well less than 1,000 cases registered daily. The country has faced an explosive surge in confirmed cases recently, with the daily tally peaking on November 7 and nearly reaching the 28,000 mark.

The surge prompted the Polish authorities to shut down entertainment venues and most shops, with the government warning it would introduce a full-scale “national quarantine” if case numbers average 27,000-29,000 over a seven-day period.

The number of new cases has somewhat leveled in recent days – on Saturday, the country reported some 24,213 confirmed cases. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Poland registered more than 840,000 coronavirus cases, including nearly 13,300 deaths.

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