A spike in reported coronavirus cases in Poland's coal mines has put the country on edge but residents worried about jobs are playing down the health crisis.
Dominik Kolorz, head of the Solidarity trade union for the Silesian coal basin, told AFP he was concerned the increase in virus cases could serve as a pretext for the definitive closure of some mines.
"We hope the government will go on to restore the mining sector," Kolorz told AFP.
Miners and their families accounted for a high proportion of recent cases of the coronavirus diagnosed in Poland, prompting the government to suspend work at 12 mines until the end of June.
