Poland to further relax COVID-19 restrictions

Indoor exhibitions and fairs will be allowed to be held again in Poland in June, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said Wednesday, announcing the further relaxation by the government of the COVID-19 restrictions. Indoor play areas for children will also be allowed to reopen, reported Xinhua.

Starting June 6, 150 people (up from 50 currently) will be allowed to attend weddings and public gatherings. Holders of official printed or digital COVID-19 certificates will not be counted towards this limit.

The EU Digital COVID Certificate will be issued to those who provide proof of vaccination, a negative test result or immunity through a prior infection. The certificate has been available online since Tuesday and has already been downloaded by 400,000 Poles, Niedzielski said.

The passenger capacity of public transport vehicles will be increased to 75 percent on June 6. The wearing of face masks will remain compulsory during the ride.

Wednesday saw 664 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases over a 24-hour period out of around 55,000 tests, which according to Niedzielski shows that the percentage of positive tests is dropping.

"This is by far the lowest percentage we have seen during the entire pandemic," he said, adding that the number of hospitalizations has been falling across the country. "During the course of the week the number of hospitalizations has fallen by 5,000 occupied beds, and the week before that it was even 8,000 beds, which was a record."

To date, more than 20.3 million vaccine doses have been administered in the country of 38 million. From June 7, children aged 12 to 15 will start receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech jab in Poland.