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. 2020 Apr 13:26:e924730.
doi: 10.12659/MSM.924730.

Public Health Interventions to Mitigate Early Spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Poland

Jarosław Pinkas  1 , Mateusz Jankowski  1 , Łukasz Szumowski  2 , Aleksandra Lusawa  3 , Wojciech S Zgliczyński  1 , Filip Raciborski  4 , Waldemar Wierzba  3 , Mariusz Gujski  4
Affiliations

Public Health Interventions to Mitigate Early Spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Poland

Jarosław Pinkas et al. Med Sci Monit. .

Abstract

This study aimed (1) to present public health interventions to mitigate the early spread of SARS-CoV-2 implemented in Poland between January 9 and March 29, 2020, and (2) to analyze the potential impact of these regulations on the early phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in Poland. All legal regulations published in the Journal of Laws between January 9 and March 29, 2020, were analyzed. Out of 406 legal regulations identified, 56 were related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Moreover, the official announcements published on the governmental websites dedicated to the coronavirus and health issues were analyzed. On March 4, Poland reported the first laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 case. On March 9, Poland introduced border sanitary control. Six days after the first laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 case, all mass events in Poland were banned. All schools and universities were closed 8 days after the first COVID-19 case. All gastronomic facilities and sport and entertainment services were limited starting on March 14. Eleven days after the first COVID-19 case, controls at all Polish borders were introduced, and a ban on entry into Poland by foreigners (with some exemptions) was implemented. Starting on March 15, all citizens returning from abroad had to undergo compulsory 14 days self-quarantine. On March 20, a state of epidemic was announced, which resulted in new social distancing measures starting on March 25. In Poland, compared to other European countries, far-reaching solutions were implemented relatively early to reduce the spread of infection.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and legal solutions introduced by the Polish authorities (date enacted).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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