Table 1.

Public health interventions to mitigate early spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Poland (as of March 29, 2020).

Specific	Details	Date enacted	In force	Number of cases when enacted	Days since the first case when cane in force
Crisis act: the Law on special arrangements for the prevention and combating of COVID-19, other infectious diseases and crisis situations caused by them	– Administrative, budgetary and epidemiological measures adapted to manage a possible epidemic of COVID-19 or other infectious diseases	March 2	March 8	–	–
First laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 case in Poland (March 4)
Obligation to quarantine, epidemiological supervision or hospitalization related to COVID-19	– People suffering from or suspected to have a COVID-19 can be ordered to undergo treatment in hospitals – Obligation to quarantine or epidemiological supervision persons who have close contact with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case	March 7	March 7	6	3
Border sanitary control	– Passengers’ Location Cards – Temperature measureme	March 9	March 9	17	5
Local transmission phase of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (March 10)
Cancellation of mass events	– All mass events gathering at least 1,000 participants outside of buildings were canceled – All events gathering 500 or more participants inside buildings were canceled	March 10	March 10	22	6
Closure of universities	– All academic classes were cancelled – Researcher and scientific activites has been maintained, but scientists were encouraged to remote work	March 11	March 12	31	8
Closure of schools and childcare providers	– Closure of all public and private educational institutions – All childcare providers were closed	March 11	March 12	31	8
Closure of culture institutions	– Cultural institutions, such as philharmonic orchestras, operas, theatres, museums, and cinemas suspended their activities	March 11	March 12	31	8
Unified hospital for infectious diseases (COVID-19 hospitals)	– 19 hospitals were transformed into a unified hospital for infectious diseases, to provide full access to medical services for COVID-19 cases (at least one hospitals located in each of the 16 administrative regions in Poland)	March 13	March 16	68	12
State of epidemic emergency	– Restaurants, bars, and cafes were able to operate only takeaways and delivery – In shopping mall with a sales area of over 2,000 square meters, only grocery stores, pharmacies and laundry facilities remained open – Fairs, exhibitions, congresses, conferences and sporting events have been suspended – Entertainment and recreation facilities including dance clubs, music clubs have been suspended – Public gatherings of more than 50 people have been banned – Export of personal protective equipment and disinfection agents has been limited	March 13	March 14	68	10
Temporary closure of borders to non-citizens	– Controls at all Polish borders have been introduced – A ban on entry to Poland for foreigners (with some exemptions) was implemented – All citizens returning from abroad were obligated to undergo 14 days of civil quarantine – Compliance with the quarantine obligation was checked by the police and dedicated mobile aplication “home quarantine” – All international passenger air and rail services have been suspended – A charter flight a program called “Flight home” (in polish “LOT do domu”) was initiated	March 13	March 15	68	11
State of epidemic	– Organizational improvements to facilitate the prevention and combating of COVID-19 epidemy have been introduced	March 20	March 20	425	16
Sate of epidemic and its amendment	– Public gathehering were limited to a maximum of 2 people – Audience at the religious gatherings, funerals or marriages was limited up to 5 participants – People traveling on foot have been obligated to keep 1.5 meters apart – All non-essential travel was prohibited, with the exception of travelling to work, SARS-CoV-2 control related activities, or necessary everyday activities – Number of people who can use public transport was limited by half	March 24	March 25	901	21