WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland will ban flights from 46 countries, including France and Spain, as of Sept 2, according to a draft regulation published on Thursday, as the country grapples with a spike in coronavirus infections.
The move follows targeted measures to reintroduce restrictions on public life in the worst affected parts of the country, as the government tries to tackle the spread of the virus without resorting to a complete lockdown.
“Due to the threat of spreading SARS CoV-2 virus infections, it is necessary to exercise the right to introduce air traffic bans… in order to minimize the threat to public health,” the regulation said.
Poland closed its borders and suspended flights in March to stop the spread of the coronavirus. However, it progressively loosened restrictions on public life, with shopping centres, hotels and restaurants all reopening in May.
Polish national airline PLL LOT resumed international flights on July 1 almost four months after suspending them.
Other countries affected by the ban are popular tourist destinations Montenegro and Croatia, as well as Romania, the United States, Israel, Mexico and Brazil.
Poland has reported 64,689 cases of the novel coronavirus and 2,010 deaths.
(Reporting by Alan Charlish; Editing by Peter Graff)
