WARSAW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th November, 2020) Poland has earmarked up to $10 billion for the second phase of the national post-coronavirus economic recovery program, dubbed Anti-Crisis Shield, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday.
The government launched the Anti-Crisis Shield program in March, investing an initial $55 billion in economic recovery via the support of affected businesses.
"Today we introduce Anti-Crisis Shield 2.0," Morawiecki said at a press conference, specifying that 35-50 billion zlotys ($10 billion) will be put aside within the state budget to support tourism, hospitality and food businesses, as well as culture and entertainment.
The money will be available to businesses across around 40 economic sectors via non-returnable subsidies and benefits, according to the prime minister.
As nearly elsewhere in Europe, Poland was faced with a resurgence of COVID-19 in the fall. On Wednesday, the Polish health authorities reported an all-time high of 674 new coronavirus-related deaths per day.
As of Thursday, Poland's coronavirus tally has surpassed 941,000 cases, including 15,568 fatalities.
