Warsaw, Jun 11 (IANS):Poland will reopen its borders to other European Union (EU) countries on June 13, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced.

The announcement comes in the wake of a request by the European Commission on June 5 to member states to have their borders reopened by July 1, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

The border reopening means that citizens of other EU countries can enter Poland again. Temporary passport checks, abolished in 2007 when Poland joined the Schengen area, will also be lifted.

International flights, which have been ceased apart from repatriation charter flights, will resume three days later, according to the announcement.

Poland's borders have been closed to non-Poles and non-residents since March 15 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Poles and residents returning from abroad were subject to a 14-day home quarantine. The measure was initially implemented for nine days, but was extended when the pandemic spread further within Europe.

Poland's Ministry of Health said on Wednesday morning that the number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Poland had reached 27,668. On Monday, Poland recorded the highest single-day infections of 599 cases since the start of the pandemic.