Warsaw, Nov 27 (IANS): Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced a new economic stimulus package for businesses that were affected during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

On Thursday, Morawiecki unveiled the Financial Shield 2.0 stimulus, estimated to be between 35 billion-40 billion Polish Zloty ($9 billion-10.5 billion), which is aimed to help 40 sectors particularly impacted by the second wave, reports Xinhua news agency.

Businesses active in, among others, transport, retail, tourism and gastronomy, can apply for funds needed to pay employees and avoid bankruptcy.

The number of daily Covid-19 cases has stabilized in the country this week, dropping below 20,000 after a single peak on Tuesday, when 32,733 new cases were confirmed over a 24-hour period.

Poland reported 16,687 new cases on Thursday, which increased the overall infection tally to 941,112 people. The death toll currently stood at 15,568.

Also on Thursday, the government announced new restrictions for Christmas Eve, when Polish families traditionally gather.

Each household will be allowed to invite a maximum of five people from outside the household for gatherings.