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| - Hundreds of Polish-German border residents took to the streets Friday to protest against anti-virus measures they say block them from commuting to work on a daily basis. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, both countries are requiring those entering to undergo a 14-day quarantine period, though Germany makes an exception for cross-border commuters. Poland does not. Carrying signs such as "Let us in for work without quarantine", around 100 demonstrators on each side of the Rosowek-Rosow border crossing called for a relaxation of the rules, according to the Polish news agency PAP. "German hospitals in the border region employ huge numbers of doctors and nurses who aren't able to commute in to work," said Marta Szuster, protest organiser on the German side. "The same goes for pharmacists or teachers," she told PAP. Similar-sized protests took place in several other border towns, including in Gubin and Guben, as well as in Zgorzelec and Gorlitz. According to Eurostat data from 2018, the largest number of cross-border workers among EU member states were the 125,000 people living in Poland and working in Germany. To encourage Polish commuters to stay in Germany, some border regions have been offering 40 to 65 euros ($44-70) a day to pay for meals and hotel rooms. A smaller protest numbering dozens of people also took place Friday near the Polish village of Chalupki on the Czech border. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki was asked about the cross-border work issue during a live Facebook chat with the public this week. "It is a tough dilemma to solve," he said, explaining that other residents have expressed concern over the risk posed by higher infection rates across the border. "I will try to find a happy medium," he added, saying he has asked governors to devise solutions that would enable cross-border commuting without quarantine but would involve enough isolation for other residents to feel safe. amj/har
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