Łukasz Szumowski told reporters that over 170 people were in hospital, while more than 4,000 were in quarantine at home.
An elderly man was in a “serious” condition in a hospital in the south-western Polish city of Wrocław, state news agency PAP reported.
Meanwhile, Poland’s national carrier LOT has suspended all flights to Italy, Europe’s worst-hit country, until March 12.
Poland’s Chief Sanitary Inspectorate has recommended that all indoor gatherings of over 1,000 people should be cancelled.
Michał Dworczyk, the head of the Polish Prime Minister’s Office, said on Monday that the authorities were doing everything they could to limit the spread of the virus, but added: “We will definitely have a rapid increase in the number of people falling ill.”
The first case of coronavirus infection was reported in Poland last week.
Under special rules that came into force in Poland on Sunday, people suffering from or suspected to have an infectious disease can be ordered to undergo treatment in hospital.
Employers can instruct employees to work from home. The law also introduces a special allowance for parents who are forced to stay home and take care of their children if a nursery, kindergarten or school closes amid coronavirus fears.
The new virus, which emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, has since spread to more than 100 countries.
(pk/gs)
Source: TVP/PAP/IAR
