A checkpoint manned by armed Polish soldiers was discovered by an astonished Czech construction worker on his way to a small chapel near the border in late May.

The soldiers turned him away from the chapel, which is on the Czech side of the border by around 30 metres, and maintained their position for days, NPR reports.

Poland had closed its borders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and only reopened to other EU countries on Saturday.

A spokesperson for Poland’s foreign ministry said: “In the spirit of good Polish-Czech relations, we believe that this was only a minor misunderstanding that was quickly cleared up.”

A spokesperson for the Czech foreign ministry added: “Our Polish counterparts unofficially assured us that this incident was merely a misunderstanding caused by the Polish military with no hostile intention. However, we are still expecting a formal statement.”