Poland resumes EU passenger air service, COVID-19 cases top 30,000

WARSAW - Poland is set to reopen its airports for international passenger flights within the European Union (EU) from Tuesday midnight, while the country's confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeded 30,000.

The other international flights remain banned until at least June 30. Domestic flights have already resumed on June 1.

While the Polish government officially lifted the ban on international flights from midnight Monday, the country's Civil Aviation Authority decided to bar flights on Tuesday in order to buy airports one day of extra time to prepare for new sanitary rules. These include the availability of face mask dispensers and hand sanitizers for passengers.

Passengers are also required to fill in a declaration of health before boarding any aircraft, while those with a body temperature exceeding 38 degrees Celsius are to be refused boarding.

On Tuesday, Poland reported 407 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national total to 30,195. Of the new cases, more than half were reported in Silesia, a southern region with a prominent coal mining industry.

Although Poland has not passed the peak of the pandemic yet, government spokesperson Piotr Muller said there are no plans to reinstate any previously lifted lockdown measures. He also told public broadcaster Polish Radio that there are still enough hospital beds and ventilators available to manage the outbreak.