Poland restricts access to area bordering Belarus till March

Poland’s interior minister has applied freshly adopted regulations and declared area along the nation’s border with Belarus off-limits to everyone except residents and people who live, work or study in designated no-access zones, until March

WARSAW, Poland -- Poland’s Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski on Tuesday applied freshly adopted regulations and declared an area along the nation's border with Belarus off-limits to everyone except residents and people who live, work or study in the designated no-access zone.

Earlier Tuesday, the lower house of parliament, or Sejm, voted to amend the border law amid a conflict between Poland and Belarus. The president immediately approved the amended law, allowing for its implementation. The ban takes effect Wednesday for three months.

In adopting the amendments to the law on Poland's borders, the Sejm rejected changes proposed in the Senate, including one that would have allowed journalists free access in the restricted areas.

Under the new regulations, journalists need permission from the head of the Border Guard to work from the border area.