Poland in South Africa

The most important changes:

•  definition of two regimes for the quarantine obligation after crossing the border:
  
  1)  one for people traveling from the Schengen area countries (but also from EU countries that are not in the Schengen area),

Persons traveling within the EU and the Schengen area (land and sea crossings) are subject to compulsory quarantine when they cross the border to go to their place of residence or stay in the Republic of Poland, regardless of the means of transport they use, individual or collective transport and on foot. People going for a purpose other than going to their place of residence or stay in the Republic of Poland are required to have a negative test (PCR or antigen) for coronavirus, confirmed on the certificate issued no later than 48 hours before crossing the border. This requirement applies to persons traveling by any means of transport, individual or collective transport and on foot. The test result should be in Polish or English. People traveling by air are required to have a negative coronavirus test result no later than 48 hours before crossing the border. A person who does not meet this criteria is sent to compulsory quarantine. The catalog of quarantine exemptions is specified in par. 2 clause 21 and regarding the persons referred to in par. 3 sec. 1 and sec. 2 points 2, 3, 14, 15 and 19 - for crossing the border by land or sea and in par. 2 clause 21a (reference to section 3 section 1 and section 2 points 2, 3, 14 and 19) - in the case of crossing the border by air.

        2)   people traveling from countries outside the EU /Schengen zone

People traveling outside the Schengen zone will be subject to mandatory quarantine even if they have a negative test for coronavirus made in the country where they are staying.

The new regulation also are introducing the possibility of shortening the quarantine imposed in connection with crossing the border of the Republic of Poland (regardless of whether it constitutes the external border of the European Union or the internal border of the European Union) in the event of obtaining a negative SARS CoV-2 test result from the laboratory that will enter the result of this test into the EWP system within 48 hours upon crossing the border. The cost of the test referred to in the preceding sentence, regardless of whether the test will be performed in relation to a citizen of the Republic of Poland or a foreigner, will not be financed from public funds.

The new regulation are also including:

• extension of the catalog of people released from quarantine to include teachers of Polish schools and the school complex at diplomatic representations, consular offices and military representations of the Republic of Poland, who will cross the border to vaccinate against COVID-19

• changes in the groups authorized to use hotel accommodation

• the changes are related to the preparation and conducting by the regional examination commissions of external exams: eighth grade and matriculation exams. They include:

a) exemption from the necessity to quarantine persons who take the eighth-grade examination, matriculation examination, examination confirming qualifications in an occupation or vocational examination, conducted by district examination boards,

b) exemption from the obligation to cover the mouth and nose of the candidates and other persons participating in the eighth-grade examination, matriculation examination, examination confirming qualifications in an occupation or vocational examination, if the distance between individuals during the examination is at least 1.5 m;

c) exemption from the ban on organizing examination assemblies, training for examiners and the work of persons participating in checking and grading examination papers.

 

The text of the legal act – attached