Outbreak of coronavirus cases in the Silesian mining basin in Poland

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As the coronavirus pandemic ebbs into western Europe, Poland is experiencing an outbreak of contamination. One region is particularly affected: Silesia, the Polish mining basin. Of the 1,151 cases recorded this weekend, two thirds involved a single mine, which forced the Polish government to take drastic measures.

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From our correspondent in Warsaw , Damien Simonart

For the past few weeks, Silesia has been the Polish epicenter of the epidemic. To date, it has nearly 10,000 contaminations for 241 deaths but this weekend, the number of new cases has soared: around 800 new people tested positive and all are employees of the Zofiowka coal mine or their family members.

The Minister of Health, Lukasz Szumowski, explains this result by the very large number of tests carried out on minors, 50,000 in total, and expects to have 100 to 200 new cases per day.

Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin announced the closure for three weeks of 12 mines in Silesia to prevent the spread of the virus. Poland cannot, however, allow a total shutdown of the sector since three quarters of Polish electricity is produced from coal. Minors who are forced to rest are guaranteed to receive their entire salary. Those who continue to work are subject to very strict restrictions.

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