Letter from... Warsaw

By Barbara Czerniawska, Director, Martis Consulting

The Polish economy is slowly restarting. In April, we posted a 25-percent crash in industrial production but now, with the gradual lifting of restrictions starting from early May, we do hope to return to normality sooner rather than later. Some data suggests that we should be optimistic – thanks to the strong internal consumption and the general global changes that are expected, Poland may not be hit by the COVID-19 crisis as badly as other European countries. Now, when Western Europe and the US start reducing their dependence on China, Poland may even become the first country to benefit from changes in supply chains.

People in Poland seem to be tired of the lockdown. I guess that everyone is missing normality: more meetings with friends and family, holidays, relaxation, entertainment. Since May 30, it is no longer mandatory to wear masks in open public spaces. It's so good to get back to normal life!

But we mustn't be complacent. The virus hasn’t gone yet. We still don’t know whether the country has passed the peak of the outbreak or not. As of June 7, over one million samples in Poland were tested for SARS-CoV-2, of which 26,561 proved positive. Only yesterday, 575 new coronavirus cases were confirmed. Right now, the highest infection rate per 100,000 inhabitants is recorded in Upper Silesia (a total of 9,639 cases).

As we step into the unknown as regards the future developments in the COVID-19 battle, we remain cautiously optimistic about our economy going forward.