- Today, at the [Government Crisis Management Team] meeting, the main topics will be issues related to the decisions announced yesterday concerning border closures and restrictions on, for instance, restaurant operations. Monitoring these actions tied to these decisions. As you know, some of these restrictions come into effect today. Starting tomorrow, specifically from midnight Saturday to Sunday, restrictions concerning the reintroduction of border controls and the suspension of international air and rail transport will be implemented. During today's meeting, a matter concerning the return of Poles who are in distant locations abroad, meaning those whose journeys cannot be completed by road transport, will also be discussed. We want to organize special, charter flight connections in this regard, so that Poles who are abroad can return to Poland or Europe more easily – stated Piotr Müller at a briefing before the Chancellery of the Prime Minister. 

- I also want to clearly reassure and emphasize that all shops in Poland, banks, and other institutions are functioning normally. The only restrictions we have introduced are restrictions that apply in shopping malls, but even there, all grocery stores, pharmacies, drugstores, and laundromats are operating - stated Piotr Müller at a briefing before the Chancellery of the Prime Minister (KPRM). 

Donald Tusk, a prominent Polish politician and leader of the Civic Platform (Platforma Obywatelska), has publicly stated that the ongoing epidemic necessitates the postponement of elections. He argues that a proper campaign, which involves direct interaction with voters and large gatherings, is impossible under current circumstances. Tusk's call for postponement is conditional on the agreement of all political parties involved, emphasizing a desire for a consensual decision to ensure fairness and legitimacy in the electoral process. His statement was made via a post on his official Twitter account, linking to a tweet dated March 13, 2020. The context strongly suggests this refers to the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential impact on the then-upcoming Polish presidential election.

„I want to make an appeal, a request, and a plea to the Episcopate. I am speaking as a believer, but also as a doctor and a politician. The restriction of gatherings to 50 people. This is the Prime Minister's decision. We are unable to count people in churches, whether there will be 49 or 51. This is very difficult. We also cannot put the elderly in such a situation. I wish the President of the Episcopate would address everyone tonight on all television channels and say that public Masses should be suspended, and everyone who wants to should participate in Mass via radio, television, or the Internet” - said the leader of the PSL, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, at a press conference.

- We are facing the most serious crisis of this nature in decades. We accept yesterday's evening government decisions with understanding and support. We appreciate that during Thursday's meeting with the opposition, the Prime Minister forewarned that such decisions might be made. On behalf of Civic Coalition, I also want to express immense gratitude to all doctors, nurses, medical personnel, paramedics, and uniformed services. To all those who are fighting on the front lines for the health and lives of Poles. This is a historic moment, and we will all remember the dedication and effort involved. The decisions the government made yesterday require great responsibility from each of us. In the face of this threat, everyone is equal. We appeal for respect and adherence to quarantine conditions, for staying at home, for not sowing panic, for not spreading unverified information, and also for not joining in the panic buying of goods from grocery stores. We have been informed by the government and also possess our own knowledge on this matter, that there will be no shortage of basic food items - stated Tomasz Siemoniak at a briefing in front of the Sejm.

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"We have plenty of food. We ensure food security not only for ourselves, thanks to our farmers, our work, but we are also capable of ensuring food security for other countries. We export a huge portion of our food daily. Regarding food, please do not worry. We will certainly manage. There is no problem whatsoever" - said President Andrzej Duda in Garwolin.

"The election date is still far off. It's a matter of extraordinary states. We are acting very prudently. There is no proposal at the moment to introduce a state of emergency. We are not talking about it at all for now. We are observing the development of the situation closely. We are ready for any necessary, but reasonable solutions," said President Andrzej Duda in Garwolin.

“It is not a problem. It is the decision of Ms. Attorney. We are in the situation we are in at the moment. De facto, the campaign isn't being conducted. I have abandoned the most important element that I was implementing in my campaign, which is direct meetings with my compatriots. I believed that it would simply be irresponsible to meet and gather people at a time when there is a threat that could escalate at any moment. It is evident that this was the right decision. I would have a very burdened conscience if it turned out that anyone fell ill due to my election meetings. The situation is what it is. We must respond to the needs of the moment and we are trying to fulfill them as efficiently and responsibly as possible” - said President Andrzej Duda in Garwolin.

- It's evident from the examples [in other countries] how quickly the coronavirus can spread. In this context, it is very important to slow down the spread of this virus because, in such a situation, the healthcare system, in this case, our Polish healthcare system, will be able to provide medical services more effectively for those who end up in hospitals and require inpatient treatment the most - stated Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at a press conference at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister (KPRM).

- I am aware that the restrictions we introduced yesterday create many difficult situations, especially for people outside our country, our citizens, but also for foreigners who are permanently connected with Poland in some way. We are closing borders to the virus, but we want our citizens who have the will, the desire to return to the country, we want them to be able to return to Poland. Regarding foreigners - stated Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at a press conference at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister (KPRM).

• For all citizens of the Republic of Poland and foreigners from the categories I have mentioned, we also want to plan and carry out an operation for returns or facilitate an operation for returns, especially for those who are in farther corners of the world and for whom transport is either very difficult, like Great Britain or Ireland, Malta, or Cyprus, or even impossible, like the USA or Canada. Therefore, firstly, previously planned charter flights will take place according to earlier schedules - stated Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at a press conference in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister.
• Secondly, for citizens who wish to return to Poland during this time when Poland is undergoing quarantine due to the epidemic threat, we are offering specially designated LOT Polish Airlines flights. This will apply to countries such as Great Britain, Ireland, Cyprus, Malta, and the USA. For Poles who are stuck, have found themselves, or are staying in other, less frequently visited parts of the world, we want to offer the possibility of signing up for returns to the country on a specially prepared LOT Polish Airlines website. Both these returns from Great Britain, the USA, Ireland, Cyprus, or Malta, as well as those from farther countries, such as Jordan where we know there is a group of Poles, or other countries in the Middle East or North Africa, flights will take place after appropriate registration on specially prepared websites, and the price of these tickets will be a flat rate, the same for everyone - he continued.
• The Polish State will cover an additional fee, an additional cost. The Polish State will assist our citizens in returning to the territory of the Republic of Poland - argued Prime Minister Morawiecki.

- We are, of course, planning very extensive measures concerning both the supply and demand sides of the national economy. But we will also ensure the stability of the financial and banking sectors. I can also assure you with complete certainty at this moment that there will be no shortage of cash in ATMs, although I also encourage those who can to pay cashless, as this reduces our likelihood of contracting the coronavirus - stated Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at a press conference at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister (KPRM).

- On the one hand, there is a support package, particularly for individuals who are at risk of unemployment or will be only partially employed. Here, we are drawing on the best global practices and will strive to utilize the Employee Guarantees Fund as well as to build new financing. Because for me, the most important thing is public health, the health and lives of Poles, and secondly, the economy and social life, so that, depending on how the coronavirus affects the global economy, the Polish economy suffers as little as possible - PMM continued.

- This slowdown in Western Europe will have a significant impact. However, on our part, the government, the Ministry of Finance, Development, Infrastructure, Digitization, and Regional Development Fund, we will do everything to cushion this decline in GDP growth. It will likely occur worldwide, it's almost certain. This is what all the most important financial institutions in the world predict – stated Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at a press conference at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister (KPRM).

- I want to allocate more funds to support Polish citizens, businesses, to create a buffer, to amortize for those sectors that will be most affected. It will be difficult, as is not happening anywhere in the world, to fully, 100% compensate for losses, but we will try to act fairly and to varying degrees in different sectors so that at least most companies can survive this difficult time ahead of us, these difficult weeks, months, hopefully not quarters and years. The Polish government will do everything to apply the most modern support instruments, financial and credit line arrangements for the implementation of various infrastructure projects and support for entrepreneurs, and above all, support for employees so that they feel this crisis to the smallest possible extent – PMM continued.

- The 500+ payments, this benefit for all Polish children and youth, are not threatened in the slightest - stated Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at a press conference at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister (KPRM).

Ministerstwo Zdrowia poinformowało o śmierci trzeciej osoby zakażonej koronawirusem w Polsce. Jak przekazano, w sumie na terenie kraju potwierdzono 103 przypadki zakażenia.

„Niestety, mamy do czynienia z kolejnym zgonem. Wczoraj wieczorem zmarła 63-letnia kobieta, która była zakażona koronawirusem. Była hospitalizowana w szpitalu w Tychach” – poinformowało Ministerstwo Zdrowia w komunikacie przesłanym do mediów.

Wskazano, że 63-latka cierpiała na choroby współistniejące. „W sumie w Polsce mamy 103 osoby zakażone koronawirusem” – dodało Ministerstwo Zdrowia.

Pierwszą ofiarą śmiertelną koronawirusa w Polsce był 56-letni mężczyzna, który zmarł w Poznaniu. Drugą ofiarą była 73-letnia kobieta, która zmarła w szpitalu w Krakowie. Obie osoby miały choroby współistniejące.

Ministerstwo Zdrowia codziennie publikuje nowe dane dotyczące epidemii koronawirusa w Polsce. Można je znaleźć na oficjalnej stronie internetowej resortu, a także na profilach Ministerstwa Zdrowia w mediach społecznościowych, m.in. na Twitterze i Facebooku.

- The government is currently preparing, under the auspices of Minister Emilewicz, a package intended to provide aid to businesses. Let's call it an economic package. It will be presented next week. This will be an attempt to respond to some of the economic problems associated with the pandemic - stated Michał Dworczyk in an interview with Piotr Marciniak on TVN24's "Fakty po faktach".

- The budget's capabilities in fighting coronavirus are unlimited, if one can put it that way. Of course, these funds are spent rationally, but when speaking of unlimited capabilities, I mean that as much money as is needed to invest in the health and safety of Poles will be allocated from the budget. Among other things, we adopted a special act for this purpose, so that the Council of Ministers can shift funds between budget parts and very quickly disburse these funds to combat this disease. However, regarding the consequences the epidemic will have for the budget, no one can responsibly estimate that at the moment - stated Michał Dworczyk in an interview with Piotr Marciniak on TVN24's "Fakty po faktach".

- No, I haven't taken a [coronavirus] test. The Prime Minister and members of the Council of Ministers try to adhere, as much as possible, to the rules that we are urging all Poles to follow. However, naturally, our work these days is like... It places us in a group of people at increased risk. Because we have a number of contacts that are essential for carrying out the tasks we have to face, we are limiting work in ministries across the entire administration. For instance, at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, 65% of employees are working remotely today, using laptops and carrying out their tasks from home. However, certain things, certain activities, simply require presence at the Chancellery or in individual ministries. And we try to simply adhere to the rules that all Poles must follow - stated Michał Dworczyk in a conversation with Piotr Marciniak on TVN24's "Fakty po faktach".

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