But most restrictions imposed by the government in its battle against the coronavirus will remain in place until February 14, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski told reporters.
Referring to the reopening of shopping centres, Niedzielski said: "This is a step that we are taking cautiously in order to allow a gradual, very slow return to normality.”
He told a press conference that the epidemic in Poland "seems to be stabilized at the moment," but pointed to two risks: the spread of the pandemic internationally and new mutations of the coronavirus.
Business owners have been demanding that hotels, restaurants, bars and gyms should also be allowed to reopen, though with virus restrictions in place.
Some have warned that they face bankruptcy and that they will reopen their doors in February, whether the government allows it or not.
Image: Queven/Pixabay/Pixabay licence
Poland on December 28 went into what Niedzielski at the time described as a "national quarantine" as it stepped up its efforts to contain the coronavirus.
Hotels and non-essential stores were told to close, and a 10-day quarantine requirement was imposed on anyone arriving in the country by public transportation.
Poland at the start of last week reopened schools for young children after a prolonged period of distance learning.
Meanwhile, a host of other restrictions on public life, including the closure of hotels, ski slopes and many retail outlets, were extended to at least January 31.
Poland on Thursday reported 7,156 new coronavirus infections and 389 more deaths, bringing its total number of cases to 1,496,665 and fatalities to 36,443.
Meanwhile, the number of people vaccinated against the coronavirus in Poland has topped one million, officials said.
The Prime Minister’s Office has said that some 6 million jobs have been saved throughout the country thanks to measures including a massive relief and stimulus package designed to shield the economy from the coronavirus.
(pk/gs)
Source: PAP/IAR/Polish Radio