Dear students,

Recently, certain protective measures have been taken by Polish authorities. They may affect your everyday life, therefore it is of utmost importance that you get yourself acquainted with the information below. To combat the spread of misinformation, the information below only comes from official sources provided by Polish government (pl. Dziennik Ustaw, eng. Journal of Laws). Additionally, you can find the list of references below the article. We also provide you with links to reliable sources regarding the most up-to-date situation in Poland. The article will be updated each time the goverment takes major decisions related to restrictions in Poland.

The most important decisions taken by the government are as follow:

There will be milder restrictions with continued low levels of disease. However, this does not mean that the coronavirus has been defeated. So despite the restrictions being lifted, remember the safety rules!

 

SAFETY MEASURES FROM 1ST OF MAY:

  • Uniform safety rules across the country - hair and beauty salons open

  • Sports - playing sports in outdoor sports facilities: limit - max. 50 people

  • Sports - playing sports in indoor sports facilities and swimming pools: for organized groups of children and youth with max. 50% occupancy of the facility

     

SAFETY MEASURES FROM 4TH OF MAY:

  • Culture - open art galleries and museums under a strict sanitary regime: limit of 1 person per 15 square meters

  • Commerce - open construction shops, furniture stores, shopping malls under a strict sanitary regime: limit of 1 person per 15 square meters

  • Religious Worship - services with a limit of persons: limit of 1 person per 15 square meters, in churches recommendation to hold the ceremony in the open air

 
SAFETY MEASURES FROM 8TH OF MAY:

  • Hotels open to guests with max. 50% occupancy of the facility, with closed restaurants and wellness & spa area

     
SAFETY MEASURES FROM 15TH OF MAY:

  • Wearing masks outdoors - removing the obligation if the infection rate per 100,000 people falls below 15. The obligation to cover the nose and mouth with a mask indoors will remain unchanged.

  • Outdoor gastronomy (open air) - open restaurant gardens under strict sanitary regime - e.g. safe distance between the tables and limit of people per table

  • Culture - open air cinemas and theatres under a strict sanitary regime with max 50% occupancy

  • Special events outside - the possibility of organizing weddings and communions in strict sanitary regime - among others, safe distance between the tables and the limit of people per table (regulations are the same as for the outside catering) with limit up to 25 people

  • Education - hybrid learning for grades 4-8 of primary schools and grades 1-4 of high schools under a strict sanitary regime: airing of rooms during breaks, disinfection of facilities at weekends

  • Sports - playing sports in outdoor sports facilities with max. 25% of the audience

     
 
SAFETY MEASURES FROM 28TH OF MAY:

  • Open restaurants under strict sanitary regime - safe distance between the tables, limit of people per table, with maximum occupancy of 50 percent of premises inside

  • Special events inside - possibility of organizing e.g. weddings and communions under a strict sanitary regime: safe distance between the tables and the limit of people per table (regulations are the same as for the internal catering) with limit up to 50 people

  • Culture - open cinemas and theatres under a strict sanitary regime with max. occupancy rate 50% of the facility

  • Sports - playing sports at indoor sports facilities and swimming pools: facilities accessible to all with max occupancy up to 50% (with audience)

  • Sports - playing sports in gyms, fitness clubs, solariums: under a strict sanitary regime with limit of 1 person per 15m2

 
 
 
Moreover the previous security measures are also extened
  • no movement of people under 16 without parents from Monday to Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
  • in public transport there are half of the seats left vacant or 30% of all space available will be in use
  • hours for seniors (from Monday to Friday between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.) are canceled
  • 10 days quarantine* for those who have crossed the Polish border (which is both external and internal EU border) by plane, bus or other collective transport, counting from the following day of crossing border
    • ​* If you have been vaccinated for COVID-19 (and have certificate confirming the protective vaccination) or you are travelling by private car, you will not be referred to quarantine, the rule applies from 28th December 2020
    • * students studying in Poland and their guardians who cross the border with these students to enable this education also will not be referred to quarantine
    • * In addition students, participants in post-graduate studies, specialist education and other forms of education, as well as PhD students studying in Poland and persons conducting research activities in Poland (refers to people who permanently reside abroad, but recive education in the territory of Poland) as well will not be referred to quarantine
    • * Furthermore persons having a negative results of SARS-CoV-2 test, done before crossing the border, being valid for 48 hours from the moment obtaining the result will not be referred to quarantine too

 

 

From Saturday, October 24TH, there are new safety measures:

  • whole Poland will be in red zone
  • restaurants will be closed (take-away or delivery only)
  • all classes on universities will be held remotely
  • in commercial facilities there can be 5 people per one cash register
  • gatherings of more than 5 people will be prohibited
  • in public transport only half of the seats will be in use

 

New regulations to be put into forces from 17th of October:

From the 17th of October the new safety measures are to be put into force in the whole Poland in order to minimise the risk of COVID-19 infection.
 

The "yellow" zone:

  • restaurants can be open between 6 am and 9 pm and every second table can be accessible. After 9 pm a takeaway option will be possible
  • in public transport there will be half of the seats left vacant
  • from the 19th of October the maximum number of people on weddings and other gatherings reaches 20
  • in special religious services and gatherings there can be 1 person per 4 square meters
  • for public meetings only 20 people are allowed to participate
  • universities and secondary schools are required to hold classes in a hybrid form
  • sport events can be held without audience
  • in cultural events only 25% of places available can be accessible for the audience
  • pools, aqua parks and gyms are out of their services

The "red" zone:

  • in commercial facilities there can be 5 people per one cash register
  • in public transport there will be half of the seats left vacant or 30% of all space available will be in use
  • a ban on wedding receptions and other private celebrations (taking force from Monday 19 October)
  • during special religious services and gatherings there can be one person per 7 square meters
  • public assemblies limited to 10 people
  • universities and secondary schools are required to held classes online (except from practical courses)
  • additionally, the rules that are in force in yellow zones apply also to red zones 

The hours for seniors are sill in force in both zones!

Under red zones are cities such as: Warszawa, Kraków, Częstochowa, Kielce, Poznań, Łódź, Toruń, Lublin, Białystok, Olsztyn, Gdańsk, Gdynia, Sopot.

 

New regulations to be put into forces from 15th of October:

Hours for seniors:

  • From Monday to Friday between 10:00 and 12:00, only people over 60 can enter grocery stores, drugstores and pharmacies! You will not be able to do shopping in those hours.

New regulations to be put into forces from 10h of October:
Curently Polish goverment designated two zones (yellow and red) in which various restirictions apply. In red zones all restrictions from the yellow zones apply as well.

The entire territory of Poland will be designated as “yellow” zone as of Saturday, October 10. It means that:

  • covering the mouth and nose outdoors will now be obligatory in public space
  • the number of people allowed to participate in any family gatherings or events will be limited to 75 (from October 17)
  • running discotheques and nightclubs, as well as activities providing space for dancing indoors and other enclosed spaces will be banned
  • in restaurants and eateries can only be 1 person per every 4m2
  • anyone who does not wear a mask will be obliged to present a medical certificate or other document confirming the person's disability at the request of the police or municipal guard
  • distance of at least 100 metres between individual gatherings will be required
  • in cinemas only 25% of available seats can be taken 
  • there will be no need to cover mouth and nose in forests, parks, green areas and botanical gardens
  • at least a 1,5-meter distance between pedestrians is still required

In “red” zones:

  • any cultural events indoors and outdoors are forbidden
  • the number of people allowed to participate in any family gatherings like weddings etc. will be limited to 50 (from October 17)
  • in public transportation only 50% of available seats can be taken
  • restaurants and eateries are to be open only till 10 pm

 

 

 

Other restrictions will or not apply, depending on future development of the situation.
 

Below you can find exemplary webistes that are reliable source of information regarding the situation in Poland:

References for this article: