Ladies and Gentlemen,
today the regulation of the Minister of Health of 24 March 2020 amending the regulation on declaring a state of epidemic in the Republic of Poland entered into force.
Under this regulation, a ban on the movement of persons staying in the territory of the Republic of Poland was introduced, except for the following purposes:
- performing professional activities or official tasks, or non-agricultural business activities or conducting agricultural activities or work on a farm, and purchasing goods and services related thereto,
- meeting the necessary needs related to current everyday matters, including obtaining health or psychological care, of this person, of their closest person within the meaning of Article 115 § 11 of the Act of 6 June 1997 – the Penal Code (Journal of Laws of 2019, items 1950 and 2128), and if the moving person is in cohabitation with another person – also of the closest person of the person in cohabitation, and the purchase of goods and services related thereto,
- providing voluntary and unpaid services to counteract the effects of COVID-19, including through volunteering,
- performing or participating in religious worship, including religious activities or rites.
In addition, a maximum of two people may move together on foot at a distance of no less than 1.5 m from each other, but this restriction does not apply to the closest persons within the meaning of the Act.
When traveling by public transport, no more than half the number of people allowed to travel by that means of transport may be transported at any one time.
Furthermore, organizing gatherings within the meaning of Article 3 of the Act of 24 July 2015, the Law on Gatherings, is prohibited.
Importantly, from the point of view of entrepreneurs, restrictions on gatherings do not apply to meetings and gatherings related to the performance of professional activities or official tasks or non-agricultural business activities or conducting agricultural activities.
The restrictions also include a limit on the number of people participating in activities related to religious worship and the organization of funerals.
We answer your most frequently asked questions:
1. Do the restrictions also apply to workplaces and employees?
These restrictions, as indicated in the regulation, do not apply to workplaces or the performance of professional or official duties. Therefore, workplaces may continue to operate under existing rules.
2. Can I continue running my business?
The provisions of the above-mentioned regulation do not impose any restrictions on conducting business activity, therefore, unless previous restrictions or prohibitions have affected your ability to conduct business activity, this regulation does not introduce such restrictions.
3. Can I still have my employees work remotely?
Yes, such a possibility exists under Article 3 of the Act of 2 March 2020 on special solutions related to the prevention, counteraction and combating of COVID-19, other infectious diseases and crisis situations caused by them, which states that in order to counteract COVID-19, the employer may instruct the employee to perform, for a fixed period of time, the work specified in the employment contract, outside the place of its permanent performance (remote work).
If you have any questions or concerns, we remain at your disposal.
