Poland's daily COVID cases could top 50,000 next week, minister says

Polish state employees will move to remote working and private sector companies should follow suit as the country faces another surge in daily COVID-19 cases, driven by the Omicron variant, that could soon top 50,000, the health minister said. Poland reported more than 30,000 daily cases on Wednesday for the first time since April, intensifying debate over whether stricter restrictions on public life are needed.

Polish state employees will move to remote working and private sector companies should follow suit as the country faces another surge in daily COVID-19 cases, driven by the Omicron variant, that could soon top 50,000, the health minister said.

Poland reported more than 30,000 daily cases on Wednesday for the first time since April, intensifying debate over whether stricter restrictions on public life are needed. "If these trends continue, next week the number of infections could exceed the level of 50,000 (per day)," Adam Niedzielski told a news conference.

He urged private employers to follow the state sector in requiring people to work from home whenever possible. Poland currently has relatively lax regulations in comparison to many other countries, and only about 56% of Poles have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, well below the European Union average.

Under current rules, for example, venues such as restaurants and bars can provide up to 30% of their capacity to people who are not vaccinated.