Polish president backs lockdown despite business frustration Poland's president says he understands the “despair” of people opening their businesses in defiance of the anti-COVID-19 lockdown to survive, but says they must keep to government-ordered restrictionsWARSAW, Poland -- Poland’s president on Monday expressed understanding for the “despair” of people who are opening their businesses in defiance of the anti-COVID-19 lockdown, but said they still must be punished for breaking government-ordered restrictions. But business owners say the government help falls far short of their needs. Social media is filling with videos and images from across Poland of crowded parties at clubs and bars. Business owners point to two recent court rulings waiving fines against businesses that operated during the previous lockdown, in the spring of 2020. In Germany, a similar initiative called #wirmachenauf (“We’re opening up”) called for businesses to open earlier this month in defiance of the country’s lockdown.

Source: ABC News January 25, 2021 16:44 UTC