Poland president tests positive for COVID
WARSAW (AFP) — Poland’s President Andrzej Duda has tested positive for coronavirus, an aide said yesterday, as the country faces a record rise in cases.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, as recommended President @AndrzejDuda was tested yesterday for the presence of coronavirus. The result turned out to be positive. The president is fine,” Blazej Spychalski, secretary of state in the president’s office, said on Twitter.
While it was unclear when Duda was infected, he attended last Monday an investment forum in Tallinn, where he met with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev who later went into quarantine.
Poland went into a “red zone” lockdown yesterday, including the partial closure of primary schools and restaurants.
The move came as the European Union member country of 38 million people saw a new 24-hour record of 13,632 coronavirus cases on Friday.
Poles have been asked to work remotely if they could, and primary schools have been partially closed with only grades one to three attending classes.
Secondary school and university students switched to distance learning a week ago.
All seniors over the age of 70 have been asked to stay home.
Restaurants, cafés and pubs are only able to serve take-away meals. Fitness clubs and pools are also closed.
Gatherings are limited to five people, with weddings banned and strict limits on the number of people allowed in shops, on public transport and at religious services.
Poland’s national stadium is being transformed into a field hospital for Warsaw and the government is building temporary medical facilities elsewhere, as the surge in coronavirus cases has been straining health care facilities to breaking point.