Poland plans to ease virus restrictions by end of May

WARSAW: Poland will lift most of its coronavirus restrictions by the end of May, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday.

"The worst in terms of infections is probably behind us," Morawiecki told reporters, pointing to a decrease in the number of infections and deaths as grounds for "cautious optimism".

Shopping malls and museums can reopen on May 4, he said.

The three first school years will also resume on May 4, while other schoolchildren will start in-person classes on May 29.

Hotels reopen on May 8 and cafes and restaurants will serve customers outdoors from May 15 and indoors from May 29.

Theatres and cinemas will also be able to reopen on May 29.

The government has also said that, after more than six months, Poles may be able to stop wearing masks outdoors from May 15 but this will depend on infections falling to 15 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Some 11 million people in Poland, which has a population of 38 million, have received at least one Covid vaccine dose.

The health ministry on Wednesday reported a total of 2,776,927 coronavirus infections, a daily increase of 8,895, and a death toll of 66,533 -- a daily increase of 636.