Top members of Poland's government tested negative for the coronavirus on Tuesday, allowing them to end a self-quarantine begun a day earlier after one minister tested positive, a senior official said.

"The group that was at the (March 10) cabinet meeting was tested and all the results are negative," Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski told reporters, adding that all those "who tested negative have been cleared from quarantine".

Poland's Environment Minister Michal Wos said Monday he was under quarantine after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, adding that he was feeling fine. 

Poland has confirmed 221 cases of COVID-19, including five deaths, as of Tuesday morning, with the health ministry warning cases could rise above 1,000 this week.  

A nation of 38 million people, Poland was among the first EU members to introduce sweeping measures to contain the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus, including shutting its borders to foreign travellers, closing schools and urging citizens to stay home.

Massive tailbacks of vehicles, mostly Poles returning home and commercial goods trucks, developed at Polish border crossings with Germany, Lithuania and the Czech Republic on Tuesday as Polish border authorities conducted strenuous health checks before allowing people to return, local media reported.