Hotels, shopping centres and physical therapy will start again on May 4th
We are entering the second announced stage of lifting restrictions related to COVID-19. After the long May weekend, shopping centres will open, DIY stores will be open on weekends, and hotels will resume operations. However, this is not the end. Sick people will be able to attend physical therapy sessions, and libraries and cultural institutions will be gradually opened after consultations with the Sanitary Inspector. We are also introducing changes in the functioning of kindergartens and nurseries. What else will change after the long May weekend?
The return to normalcy was divided into stages. The total restart of the economy and everyday lives of Poles depends on the development of the epidemic in the country. We are continuously observing the epidemic situation, analysing the dynamics of the increase in new cases, and also monitoring the efficiency of health services. We are making decisions on this basis.
That is why we are accelerating some changes on May 4, 2020.
Business – shopping centres and hotels reopened
• Shopping centres and large area stores are going to open, but with a limited number of people and no eating in food courts
Shopping facilities with a sales area of over 2,000 m2 – i.e. shopping centres, large-format stores – will be opened.
However, we are introducing a limit of people. There must be 15 m2 of retail space per person. Importantly – the sales area does not include the area of corridors.
Important! However, fitness centres and recreational spaces (e.g. playgrounds) cannot operate in shopping centres. There cannot be any places where meals are eaten on the premises (the so-called food courts).
• Hotels are going to open, but without swimming pools and gyms
Until now, hotels have not generally accepted guests – except for business trips and quarantined persons. We are lifting this prohibition. Hotels and accommodation services may be provided on condition that specific security rules are observed.
Important! The operation of hotel restaurants and recreational spaces – e.g. gyms, meeting rooms, swimming pools – is still limited in hotels and accommodation facilities.
• DIY stores open on weekends
We are repealing the current trade ban on large-scale DIY stores on weekends.
Social life – you will be able to go to a physical therapy session and to the museum
After the long May weekend, social life will also return to greater normalcy.
• Libraries and museums
We are revoking the ban on visiting libraries, archives, museums and other cultural activities.
Important! Cultural institutions will be opened gradually and at different times. The authority running the given institution will decide about the specific date after consultation with the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station.
• Physical therapy
Sick people and people suffering from pain will be able to benefit from physical therapy from May 4th.
Important! Massage parlours are still closed!
On May 6, we are going to open nurseries and kindergartens – though in exceptional cases, the local governing bodies may close them
Children of working parents will be able to return to nurseries or kindergartens. From Wednesday, May 6, the authorities running these institutions can open them, taking into account the guidelines of the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, as well as the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy.
Important! Due to the epidemiological situation, the authority responsible for a specific institution may limit the size of the kindergarten group or limit the number of children under care in nurseries.
Important! A local governing body may close all nurseries and kindergartens in its area on the basis of existing general provisions.
Childcare allowance is paid to parents when:
• the kindergarten and nursery are closed by a decision of the local governing body,
• when a nursery or kindergarten cannot provide care because of restrictions in place due to COVID-19.
Basics of the new normalcy – the most important permanent safety principles
A gradual return to normalcy does not absolve us from applying basic safety principles. They must become the basis of our daily lives. What should you keep in mind especially?
• Keep 2 meters away from others in public spaces.
• Obligatorily cover your nose and mouth in public places.
• Work and learn remotely whenever possible.
• Strictly observe sanitary rules in places where people are assembled (disinfection and maintaining a proper distance).
• Quarantine and isolation should be observed for infected or potentially infected persons.