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Poland's fight against the epidemic
23-3-2020 | Special episode on COVID-19
Text: Written by Hong Kong Fertile Land Development and Paradise Travel
The COVID-19 pandemic is raging around the world. The number of confirmed cases in different European countries has risen sharply, especially in major countries such as Italy, France and Germany. European countries have very close economic, trade, tourism and other relations. Although the entry and exit policies of the European Union, the European Economic Area and the Schengen Area have brought great convenience to different people, it can be seen from the current pneumonia epidemic that simple border controls have accelerated the spread and spread of the virus, and also made it more difficult for relevant departments to track potential patients. Italy, Germany and France are major countries in the center of Europe, and they are also popular travel destinations for Hong Kong people. The epidemic has been widely reported by the media. However, the neighboring Eastern European countries have not received the same attention. We specially visited two young people in Poland to understand the situation there.
Overview of the novel coronavirus in Poland
Poland is located in the east of the European continent, surrounded by Germany, the Czech Republic, Ukraine and other countries. The Czech Republic has nearly 100 cases, and Germany has nearly 2,000 confirmed cases, making it the fourth highest country in Europe. Poland, which has close ties with Western Europe, is also inevitably affected. On the morning of March 4, the first confirmed case of the new pneumonia appeared in the area. The patient had visited Westphalia, Germany. Since the 6th, there have been new cases every day. As of the 12th, Poland has had 44 confirmed cases in just over a week, and at least 12 of the 16 administrative regions in Poland have successively reported cases of infection.
S said she found a pamphlet on epidemic prevention in the building where she lives. (Photo provided by S)
The Polish government has closed all large facilities across the country for two weeks as part of its anti-epidemic measures
Seeing signs of the spread of the epidemic, some cities in the country began to suspend school on the 10th, and the next day the government announced that kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, and universities across the country would be closed for two weeks, effective from the 16th; large leisure and entertainment facilities such as museums, theaters, concerts and cinemas will also be closed for two weeks. In addition, the government also called for the cancellation of all large-scale activities to avoid crowds and reduce the chance of collective infection; it also advocated that children stay at home in the hope of preventing children from becoming virus spreaders. Some parents can receive paid leave to stay at home to take care of their children.
Free access to EU countries and the Schengen region. Since 2007, Poland has stopped checking passports of travelers entering from Germany and other Schengen regions. Poland did not have strict border control facilities, but in order to slow the spread of the epidemic, the local government also strengthened border control for land transportation on the 9th, setting up health control stations at four major crossings connecting to Germany and one connecting to the Czech Republic, becoming the first country in Europe to implement land border health control. Relevant controls will also be strengthened in places such as trains and ports.
The weather was fine and the park should have been full of children having fun, but now it was empty. (Photo provided by P)
The once bustling street was now filled with people lining up to buy craft beer. P admitted that this was a very strange phenomenon. Could it be that everyone wanted to numb themselves with alcohol? (Photo provided by P)
Polish citizens complain that supermarkets are sold out
In the early stages of the epidemic, many Europeans and Americans said they were not too worried. But as the situation worsened, panic buying occurred in European countries, and Poland was no exception. According to local sources, the Poles saw the situation in Italy and said that Poland was also beginning to "be filled with an atmosphere of panic." Local resident P said: "Although there have been no cases of infection in the city where I live, empty shelves have appeared in supermarkets. Now, disinfectants and antibacterial products are difficult to buy, and foods such as noodles and rice are also being snapped up."
S and P both said that there was a rush to buy in supermarkets. In addition to disinfectants, food was also snapped up, leaving only a few items on the shelves. (Top and bottom left/bottom right pictures provided by P and S respectively)
In Poland, although there are still very few people wearing masks on the streets, of the two locals, P and S, only S has seen two people wearing masks. "The first case was confirmed a week ago, and I still haven't seen anyone wearing a mask, but as far as I know, masks are no longer available on the market. I believe they are planning to use them in a 'worse situation'," P said worriedly. P said that even if the Poles are sick, they will not wear masks. On the contrary, in winter, you can see people wearing dust masks to keep warm. So like many European countries, wearing masks when you are sick is not a social norm in Poland.
When asked whether the current situation has affected the lives and work of local people, both of them did not seem to have seen major changes. S said frankly: "Because I have no plans to travel, the impact is not that big, but the current situation is really strange." "It has not had much impact on me for the time being. But I know that many people are still traveling abroad, and they are not afraid of being infected at all; I also know that many people will go to the company, gym, shopping, etc. even if they are sick. I think they are very irresponsible." It seems that not everyone sees the severity of the epidemic like S and P. P also revealed that he learned from a friend who served in the local army that the army has begun to build hospitals near large cities to prepare for large-scale outbreaks.
Although the number of confirmed cases in Poland is still not high compared to Germany and Italy, the government has begun to strengthen control and preparation in many aspects to actively curb the spread of the virus. As for the general public, apart from the rush to buy disinfectants and food, there has not been much change in the market. Compared with Hong Kong, which has experienced SARS, the general public in Poland is still not strict in general hygiene and epidemic prevention. We can only hope that there will be more people in Poland like S and P who understand the seriousness of the matter and everyone will do a good job of personal and environmental hygiene. If everyone is self-disciplined and cooperative, I believe the epidemic will be more easily controlled.
Note 1: The article was written on March 13.
Note 2: S and P are both native Polish and currently live in Katowice.
Note 3: The Schengen Area includes 26 countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
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In view of the spread of the epidemic, Poland has quickly closed its borders for 10 days starting from March 14, local time, and the relevant measures can be extended as needed. Despite this, the number of confirmed cases in Poland has continued to rise. As of March 22, the number of confirmed cases in the country has exceeded 600, and the number of deaths has also exceeded 7. The local government even announced on the 20th that Poland has become an "epidemic country", and the government and regional governments will have greater power to deal with this virus crisis. "To be honest, I think our government's actions are already fast. We will soon know whether the epidemic is under control," said S.