As Europe grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, eastern Europe has become the new hotspot in the fight against the virus with the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and several other countries dominating the infection rates despite <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/i-miss-the-audience-a-french-performers-life-in-covid-lockdown-344457https://www.wionews.com/world/pfizer-biontech-apply-for-covid-19-vaccine-approval-in-us-344445">lockdown</a> measures.

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According to reports, eastern Europe reported over 82,000 cases in a one day an average last week with 1,500 daily fatalities. Europe has so far reported over 15 million <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pizza-boys-blatant-lie-leads-to-harshest-covid-19-lockdown-in-this-city-344283">coronavirus</a> cases with over 346,000 deaths.

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Europe is the worst-hit region with the virus with 264,100 daily COVID-19 cases surpassing the US and Canada which averaged 172,200 coronavirus cases per day.

Amid the rising number of cases, Polish PM Morawiecki asked citizens not to travel during Christmas as the country reported 574 deaths in 24 hours on Saturday with the number of daily infections rising to 24,213.

"Poles have weapons, they are discipline, solidarity. We have 100 days of solidarity ahead of us. At the end of this period, it is likely that a vaccine will appear," Morawiecki said, adding,"whether Poland will be able to find itself able to adopt less stringent restrictions will depend on whether or not Poles obey the rules."

Poland has imposed strict lockdown measures which is set to continue till after Christmas. Hungary had earlier extended state of emergency until February with COVID-19-related deaths and infections surging since September.

According to the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), Hungary has fourth-highest coronavirus death rate per million in the continent after the Czech Republic, Belgium and Bulgaria.

As Europe grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, eastern Europe has become the new hotspot in the fight against the virus with the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and several other countries dominating the infection rates despite lockdown measures.

As Europe grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, eastern Europe has become the new hotspot in the fight against the virus with the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and several other countries dominating the infection rates despite lockdown measures. Watch: According to reports, eastern Europe reported over 82,000 cases in a one day an average last week with 1,500 daily fatalities. Europe has so far reported over 15 million coronavirus cases with over 346,000 deaths. Also Read: Canada's largest city Toronto to be on COVID-19 lockdown starting Monday Europe is the worst-hit region with the virus with 264,100 daily COVID-19 cases surpassing the US and Canada which averaged 172,200 coronavirus cases per day. Amid the rising number of cases, Polish PM Morawiecki asked citizens not to travel during Christmas as the country reported 574 deaths in 24 hours on Saturday with the number of daily infections rising to 24,213. "Poles have weapons, they are discipline, solidarity. We have 100 days of solidarity ahead of us. At the end of this period, it is likely that a vaccine will appear," Morawiecki said, adding,"whether Poland will be able to find itself able to adopt less stringent restrictions will depend on whether or not Poles obey the rules." Poland has imposed strict lockdown measures which is set to continue till after Christmas. Hungary had earlier extended state of emergency until February with COVID-19-related deaths and infections surging since September. According to the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), Hungary has fourth-highest coronavirus death rate per million in the continent after the Czech Republic, Belgium and Bulgaria.

Eastern Europe becomes new COVID-19 hotspot as infections surge

Poland's national stadium will double as a field hospital for Warsaw as a spike in coronavirus cases has strained health care facilities to the breaking point.

Built for the&nbsp;UEFA Euro 2012 football championships, the 60,000-seat stadium has conference rooms under its stands able to accomodate patients.

The decision came days after the government asked Poles to "stay home" and "work remotely" if possible as it announced a raft of restrictions to stem infections.

The new facility, that will have around 50 intensive care beds, will be ready to accept patients by the end of the week.

Field hospitals could be created in each of Poland's 16 administrative regions if need be.

Media reports suggest that hospitals in areas with the largest spike in cases have run out of beds and are refusing to accept new patients arriving by ambulance.

Roughly half of Poland was designated a coronavirus "red zone" as of Saturday, with secondary schools switching to distance learning.

Restaurants close at 9 pm (1900 GMT), weddings have been banned and stricter limits have been placed on the numbers of people allowed in shops, on public transport and at religious services.

Poland's national stadium will double as a field hospital for Warsaw as a spike in coronavirus cases has strained health care facilities to the breaking point. Built for the UEFA Euro 2012 football championships, the 60,000-seat stadium has conference rooms under its stands able to accomodate patients.

Poland's national stadium will double as a field hospital for Warsaw as a spike in coronavirus cases has strained health care facilities to the breaking point. Built for the UEFA Euro 2012 football championships, the 60,000-seat stadium has conference rooms under its stands able to accomodate patients. The decision came days after the government asked Poles to "stay home" and "work remotely" if possible as it announced a raft of restrictions to stem infections. The new facility, that will have around 50 intensive care beds, will be ready to accept patients by the end of the week. Field hospitals could be created in each of Poland's 16 administrative regions if need be. Media reports suggest that hospitals in areas with the largest spike in cases have run out of beds and are refusing to accept new patients arriving by ambulance. Roughly half of Poland was designated a coronavirus "red zone" as of Saturday, with secondary schools switching to distance learning. Restaurants close at 9 pm (1900 GMT), weddings have been banned and stricter limits have been placed on the numbers of people allowed in shops, on public transport and at religious services.

Poland to use stadium, built for UEFA Euro 2012, as hospital as virus surges

Poles voted on Sunday in a razor edge presidential run-off election between a populist incumbent allied with US President Donald Trump and a europhile liberal challenger, with experts saying the result will define the future of the country's young democracy.

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The stakes are high for Poland's right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party government, which has relied on incumbent President Andrzej Duda to endorse judicial reforms that have set Warsaw on a collision course with the EU over democratic standards just three decades after communism's demise.

Duda was struggling to beat Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski of the opposition Civic Platform (PO) as final opinion polls showed the two running neck and neck.

Wojciech, a 59-year-old builder who declined to give his surname, said he chose Duda because his close ties to Trump meant Poland "can count on the US for defence".&nbsp;

He also said he "agrees completely" with Duda's promise to ban adoption for same-sex couples.

Warsaw pensioners who identified themselves only as Helena and Maria, both in their eighties, said they picked the pro-European Trzaskowski hoping he could "get things back on the right track with the EU".&nbsp;

"We remember too well how it was before (under communism), so for our grandchildren we want Poland to be stable in Europe," Helena told AFP.

Turnout had hit a record high 52.10 percent by 1500 GMT, the state elections commission said, suggesting the coronavirus pandemic had not dampened participation.

Long, snaking queues formed at polling stations as social distancing measures were used to stem infections.

Voters also had to wear masks, use hand sanitiser and their own pens, plus give priority to pensioners, pregnant women and voters with children.&nbsp;

The election had been due in May but was delayed because of the pandemic.&nbsp;

Duda's support has slipped considerably since then, partly because of the virus fallout, which is pushing Poland into its first recession since communism fell.

An exit poll is due when voting wraps up at 1900 GMT while official results are expected Monday morning.

Experts warn that Sunday's result could be too close to call, possibly triggering legal challenges and protests.

Duda won round one on June 28 with 43.5 percent, ahead of Trzaskowski with 30.4 percent.

Now the Warsaw mayor is hoping to sway voters who backed other candidates in the first round.

Eurasia Group, a political risk consultancy, said he will have to mobilise very disparate parts of the electorate against Duda, predicting the incumbent would therefore likely win, though by a narrow margin.

With analysts suggesting that strong voter mobilisation in rural Poland would give him the winning edge, Duda said he would "like to see the highest possible turnout" after voting in the southern city of Krakow.

Duda promises to defend highly popular social welfare payments introduced by the PiS government and has led a polarising campaign, attacking LGBT rights and ruling out certain Jewish wartime compensation claims.

Ahead of the vote, PiS Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro characterised it as "a clash of two visions of Poland, the white-red and rainbow-coloured," referring to the colours of Poland's national flag and the symbol most widely used by the LGBT community.

The PIS government has also lashed out at German-owned media outlets, accusing them of "bias" during the campaign after a tabloid owned by the Ringier Axel Springer Group published a story about Duda pardoning a paedophile.

Trzaskowski promises a very different Poland.

He has said he will roll back controversial PiS reforms of the judiciary that have triggered tension with the European Union.

He also supports allowing same-sex civil partnerships in Poland, although like Duda he opposes adoption by homosexual couples.

A Trzaskowski victory could begin to loosen the PiS's near-total grip on Polish politics.

A Duda win on the other hand would cement the party's power.

"This election will determine Poland's fate for the foreseeable future," said Adam Strzembosz, a former Supreme Court chief justice and respected legal authority.

"Will it be dominated and completely subservient to a certain political party, with all the consequences of power that is dictatorial in nature? Or will we manage to stop this?"

Poles voted on Sunday in a razor edge presidential run-off election between a populist incumbent allied with US President Donald Trump and a europhile liberal challenger, with experts saying the result will define the future of the country's young democracy.

Poles voted on Sunday in a razor edge presidential run-off election between a populist incumbent allied with US President Donald Trump and a europhile liberal challenger, with experts saying the result will define the future of the country's young democracy. Also read: Hungary imposes border checks, quarantine to prevent spread of coronavirus The stakes are high for Poland's right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party government, which has relied on incumbent President Andrzej Duda to endorse judicial reforms that have set Warsaw on a collision course with the EU over democratic standards just three decades after communism's demise. Duda was struggling to beat Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski of the opposition Civic Platform (PO) as final opinion polls showed the two running neck and neck. Wojciech, a 59-year-old builder who declined to give his surname, said he chose Duda because his close ties to Trump meant Poland "can count on the US for defence". He also said he "agrees completely" with Duda's promise to ban adoption for same-sex couples. Warsaw pensioners who identified themselves only as Helena and Maria, both in their eighties, said they picked the pro-European Trzaskowski hoping he could "get things back on the right track with the EU". "We remember too well how it was before (under communism), so for our grandchildren we want Poland to be stable in Europe," Helena told AFP. Turnout had hit a record high 52.10 percent by 1500 GMT, the state elections commission said, suggesting the coronavirus pandemic had not dampened participation. Long, snaking queues formed at polling stations as social distancing measures were used to stem infections. Voters also had to wear masks, use hand sanitiser and their own pens, plus give priority to pensioners, pregnant women and voters with children. The election had been due in May but was delayed because of the pandemic. Duda's support has slipped considerably since then, partly because of the virus fallout, which is pushing Poland into its first recession since communism fell. An exit poll is due when voting wraps up at 1900 GMT while official results are expected Monday morning. Experts warn that Sunday's result could be too close to call, possibly triggering legal challenges and protests. Duda won round one on June 28 with 43.5 percent, ahead of Trzaskowski with 30.4 percent. Now the Warsaw mayor is hoping to sway voters who backed other candidates in the first round. Eurasia Group, a political risk consultancy, said he will have to mobilise very disparate parts of the electorate against Duda, predicting the incumbent would therefore likely win, though by a narrow margin. With analysts suggesting that strong voter mobilisation in rural Poland would give him the winning edge, Duda said he would "like to see the highest possible turnout" after voting in the southern city of Krakow. Duda promises to defend highly popular social welfare payments introduced by the PiS government and has led a polarising campaign, attacking LGBT rights and ruling out certain Jewish wartime compensation claims. Ahead of the vote, PiS Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro characterised it as "a clash of two visions of Poland, the white-red and rainbow-coloured," referring to the colours of Poland's national flag and the symbol most widely used by the LGBT community. The PIS government has also lashed out at German-owned media outlets, accusing them of "bias" during the campaign after a tabloid owned by the Ringier Axel Springer Group published a story about Duda pardoning a paedophile. Trzaskowski promises a very different Poland. He has said he will roll back controversial PiS reforms of the judiciary that have triggered tension with the European Union. He also supports allowing same-sex civil partnerships in Poland, although like Duda he opposes adoption by homosexual couples. A Trzaskowski victory could begin to loosen the PiS's near-total grip on Polish politics. A Duda win on the other hand would cement the party's power. "This election will determine Poland's fate for the foreseeable future," said Adam Strzembosz, a former Supreme Court chief justice and respected legal authority. "Will it be dominated and completely subservient to a certain political party, with all the consequences of power that is dictatorial in nature? Or will we manage to stop this?"

Divided Poland votes in close presidential run-off

Poland has two weeks to set a new presidential election date, the national electoral commission said after certifying that the poll scheduled for Sunday did not happen.

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Poles had been due to cast their ballots to elect a head of state, but because of a political crisis set off by the coronavirus pandemic, polling stations never opened and turnout clocked in at zero on an election day that will be one for the history books.

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The EU member of 38 million people found itself in this bizarre "Twilight Zone" predicament in which the presidential ballot had formally neither been postponed nor cancelled, because the government and opposition were unable to agree on a constitutional and safe solution.

At day's end, the electoral commission adopted a resolution stating that it "had not been possible to vote for any candidate" and thus the speaker of parliament now had two weeks to set a new election date, which must fall within 60 days of her announcement.

Such a solution will save the country from having to ask the Supreme Court to rule on the validity of the election that had been scheduled for May 10, commission head Sylwester Marciniak told reporters.&nbsp;

The governing conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party had anticipated last week that the top court would rule on the issue and had even assumed it would declare the election null and void.

"That sounds like an order for the Supreme Court regarding how it should rule," Warsaw-based political scientist Stanislaw Mocek told AFP at the time.

"We're in a fog of legal absurdity," he added, echoing the widespread head-scratching and concern around the country.

Many constitutional experts have since expressed doubt as to whether the Supreme Court even has the power to issue such a verdict.&nbsp;

Marciniak said that because no votes were cast, "we have a situation similar to when there is an absence of candidates or only one candidate and no election is held."

Leftist lawmaker Tomasz Trela summed up the Kafkaesque situation on Facebook: "Today's the day, election day without the election."

Earlier Sunday, Trela and a fellow leftist politician had shown up with homemade ballots at a school that normally doubles as a polling station and asked why they were unable to vote.

"The polling station is closed, which means someone cancelled the election. But it's unclear who did or on what basis," he told reporters.

The anti-government protest movement Citizens of Poland organised an event in the capital Warsaw, saying Poland needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.

"The state is unable to carry out the election scheduled for today. Or the voting or whatever you want to call it, this cabaret that they've arranged for us," movement co-leader Pawel Kasprzak told reporters.

Mocek, the political scientist, said the government "should have declared a natural disaster to lawfully postpone the election" under the constitution.&nbsp;

The PiS has explained away its refusal to do so by saying Poland's coronavirus situation is not severe enough to warrant the move.&nbsp;

The party has also implied that were it to declare a natural disaster, multinational corporations present in Poland would claim huge sums in compensation that the state would be hard-pressed to pay.&nbsp;

But the liberal opposition and many observers also see another rationale for why the government was set on the May 10 date, despite opinion surveys showing that three out of four Poles wanted a deferral.

The opposition, which has long called for a delay over concerns that a free, fair and safe election is impossible under lockdown, believes the PiS wants the ballot held as soon as possible so that its ally and incumbent Andrzej Duda wins.

The president is the frontrunner and could secure a second term in the first round of the vote, but he risks losing support once the economic effects of the pandemic are felt.

Last month, the PiS-controlled parliament passed a law stating the election would be held by postal vote only in a bid to quiet health concerns while maintaining the date.

But the opposition-controlled senate sat on the legislation for weeks before rejecting it, leaving the government no time to organise the election

Poland has two weeks to set a new presidential election date, the national electoral commission said after certifying that the poll scheduled for Sunday did not happen.

Poland has two weeks to set a new presidential election date, the national electoral commission said after certifying that the poll scheduled for Sunday did not happen. Also read: Brazilian President Bolsonaro rides jet ski amid coronavirus chaos in the country, netizens lash out Poles had been due to cast their ballots to elect a head of state, but because of a political crisis set off by the coronavirus pandemic, polling stations never opened and turnout clocked in at zero on an election day that will be one for the history books. Also read: 'Not the time to end lockdown, but modify measures': British Prime Minister Boris Johnson The EU member of 38 million people found itself in this bizarre "Twilight Zone" predicament in which the presidential ballot had formally neither been postponed nor cancelled, because the government and opposition were unable to agree on a constitutional and safe solution. At day's end, the electoral commission adopted a resolution stating that it "had not been possible to vote for any candidate" and thus the speaker of parliament now had two weeks to set a new election date, which must fall within 60 days of her announcement. Such a solution will save the country from having to ask the Supreme Court to rule on the validity of the election that had been scheduled for May 10, commission head Sylwester Marciniak told reporters. The governing conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party had anticipated last week that the top court would rule on the issue and had even assumed it would declare the election null and void. "That sounds like an order for the Supreme Court regarding how it should rule," Warsaw-based political scientist Stanislaw Mocek told AFP at the time. "We're in a fog of legal absurdity," he added, echoing the widespread head-scratching and concern around the country. Many constitutional experts have since expressed doubt as to whether the Supreme Court even has the power to issue such a verdict. Marciniak said that because no votes were cast, "we have a situation similar to when there is an absence of candidates or only one candidate and no election is held." Leftist lawmaker Tomasz Trela summed up the Kafkaesque situation on Facebook: "Today's the day, election day without the election." Earlier Sunday, Trela and a fellow leftist politician had shown up with homemade ballots at a school that normally doubles as a polling station and asked why they were unable to vote. "The polling station is closed, which means someone cancelled the election. But it's unclear who did or on what basis," he told reporters. The anti-government protest movement Citizens of Poland organised an event in the capital Warsaw, saying Poland needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. "The state is unable to carry out the election scheduled for today. Or the voting or whatever you want to call it, this cabaret that they've arranged for us," movement co-leader Pawel Kasprzak told reporters. Mocek, the political scientist, said the government "should have declared a natural disaster to lawfully postpone the election" under the constitution. The PiS has explained away its refusal to do so by saying Poland's coronavirus situation is not severe enough to warrant the move. The party has also implied that were it to declare a natural disaster, multinational corporations present in Poland would claim huge sums in compensation that the state would be hard-pressed to pay. But the liberal opposition and many observers also see another rationale for why the government was set on the May 10 date, despite opinion surveys showing that three out of four Poles wanted a deferral. The opposition, which has long called for a delay over concerns that a free, fair and safe election is impossible under lockdown, believes the PiS wants the ballot held as soon as possible so that its ally and incumbent Andrzej Duda wins. The president is the frontrunner and could secure a second term in the first round of the vote, but he risks losing support once the economic effects of the pandemic are felt. Last month, the PiS-controlled parliament passed a law stating the election would be held by postal vote only in a bid to quiet health concerns while maintaining the date. But the opposition-controlled senate sat on the legislation for weeks before rejecting it, leaving the government no time to organise the election

Poland to hold new vote after bizarre ghost election

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