Poles will be allowed to go outside without protective masks from May 30 and cinemas, theaters and gyms will reopen on June 6, the government said on May 27, part of a steady lifting of restrictions imposed to halt the spread of the new coronavirus.

Public gatherings of up to 150 people will be allowed in the coming days, while limits on the number of people in churches will also be relaxed in the staunchly Catholic country.

Poland, a country of 38 million people, as of May 27 has reported 22,303 cases of Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and 1,025 deaths, far fewer than other larger European countries.

“At the moment the number of sick people is falling, also the number of deaths is falling, which is the best measure of control over the epidemic,” Health Minister Łukasz Szumowski told a news conference. “Eighty percent of hospital beds dedicated to Covid-19 patients are vacant, 90 percent of respirators are not in use while awaiting patients with Covid-19,” Szumowski claimed.

Poland was among the first European countries to impose a strict lockdown to curb the spread of the virus. This included travel bans, school closures and a shutdown of its borders. The restrictions have been gradually eased since late April.

Schools are expected to remain closed until the end of June when children also start the summer holidays. Borders will also remain effectively closed until at least mid-June.

(Reuters)