Speaking at a press conference held this afternoon, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski confirmed that the restrictions would be extended until February 14th. The announcement comes as bad news for the gastronomic sector, as well as gyms and hotels. All had harbored faint hopes that existing rules would be relaxed in light of the growing wave of anti-lockdown sentiment.
Exemptions, however, have been made for shopping centers, museums and art galleries, all of which will be allowed to operate as of February 1st. Continuing, Niedzielski added that separate shopping hours for seniors would also be abolished.
Although the official number of hospitalizations and infections recorded in Poland has continued to steadily drop, Niedzielski urged caution, stating that the pan-European situation – as well as mutations of the virus – prevented any further slackening of the rules.
This is unlikely to appease the embattled HoReCa and tourism industries. Amid increasing resentment and disillusionment with the government’s promise of financial aid, an ever expanding rollcall of businesses are reopening in defiance of the existing regulations; according to some estimates, several thousand have so far broken with protocol to greet guests as normal.
