Of the new cases confirmed by public health officials on Friday, 3,576 were in the southern coal mining region of Silesia.
Meanwhile, 2,143 new infections were reported in the western province of Wielkopolskie, which is home to the major city of Poznań.
The southwestern province of Dolnośląskie, which includes the city of Wrocław, had the third-highest number of new infections confirmed by officials on Friday, at 2,016.
The latest deaths in Poland’s coronavirus outbreak are 267 people with pre-existing medical conditions and 36 who died directly because of COVID-19, the Polish health ministry said in a tweet.
On Saturday, Poland confirmed a record 548 deaths and 25,571 new coronavirus infections nationwide, compared with 419 deaths and 24,051 fresh cases a day earlier.
On Saturday, November 7, the country reported a record 27,875 new single-day cases, the most since the pandemic hit the country in early March.
Tougher measures to battle COVID-19 came into effect across Poland at the end of last week following a surge in cases amid a second wave of the pandemic.
Shopping malls have been ordered to limit their operations until at least November 29, though some retail outlets, such as grocery stores, pharmacies and drugstores, will stay open to customers.
Hotels are only able to take in guests on business trips. Theatres, cinemas, museums and galleries have been told to close temporarily.
Schools and universities throughout the country have returned to distance learning, with the youngest primary school children switching to remote classes from Monday.
Under restrictions announced last month, children under 16 are only allowed to leave their homes under the supervision of an adult between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, pubs, restaurants and cafes are only allowed to provide take-aways and delivery orders.
Gatherings of more than five people have been forbidden, though people who live or work together are exempt from the rule.
Also, the government has appealed to people aged over 70 not to leave their homes unless necessary.
Poland last month introduced special shopping hours for people aged over 60 between 10 a.m. and noon.
Amid a spike in coronavirus cases, strict new rules came into effect in the country last month under which everyone is required to wear a face covering when going out in public.
Beginning Saturday, October 10, people must cover their mouths and noses when outdoors in public places as well as in most indoor environments nationwide.
Amid an escalating outbreak, the country has decided to set up a network of temporary hospitals to treat coronavirus patients.
With 213 COVID-19 deaths per million population, Poland remains less affected by the coronavirus epidemic than some other countries in Europe, new statistics have shown.
To compare, Belgium has 1,125 deaths per million residents since the start of the pandemic, according to data released by the Polish health ministry this week, while Spain has 841 and Britain reports 724.
Poland’s prime minister said this week that millions of vaccines against the coronavirus were likely to reach his country next spring as part of a European deal with drug makers.
The European Union on Wednesday struck a deal to buy up to 300 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine from US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.
(jh)
Source: IAR, PAP