COVID-19 pandemic in Finland
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COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
in Finland has resulted in confirmed cases of
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
and deaths. On 29 January 2020, the first case in
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
was confirmed, when a Chinese tourist visiting
Ivalo Ivalo ( smn, Avveel, se, Avvil, sms, Âʹvvel) is a village in the municipality of Inari, Lapland, Finland, located on the Ivalo River south of Lake Inari in the Arctic Circle. It has a population of 3,998 and a small airport. south of Ival ...
from
Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...
tested positive for the virus.


Background

On 31 December 2019, the Health Commission of
Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...
,
Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, informed the
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about a
cluster may refer to: Science and technology Astronomy * Cluster (spacecraft), constellation of four European Space Agency spacecraft * Asteroid cluster, a small asteroid family * Cluster II (spacecraft), a European Space Agency mission to study t ...
of acute
pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
cases with unknown origin in its province. On 9 January 2020, the
Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC; ) is an institution directly under the National Health Commission, based in Changping District, Beijing, China. Established in 1983, it works to protect public health and safety ...
(CCDC) reported the identification of a
novel coronavirus Novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a provisional name given to coronaviruses of medical significance before a permanent name is decided upon. Although coronaviruses are endemic in humans and infections normally mild, such as the common cold (caused by ...
(later identified as the
SARS-CoV-2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had a ...
) as the cause. On 27 January, following the developments of COVID-19 outbreak in mainland China,
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
's
Ministry for Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateralism, bilateral, and multilateralism, multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citi ...
advised citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to
Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...
province. The following day,
Finnair Finnair ( fi, Finnair Oyj, sv, Finnair Abp) is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters in Vantaa on the grounds of Helsinki Airport, its hub. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both domestic and internationa ...
announced it would be suspending its five weekly routes to
Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
and Beijing Daxing until the end of March.


Timeline


January 2020

On 29 January, Finland confirmed its first case of
Coronavirus disease 2019 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
(COVID-19). A 32-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan sought medical attention in
Ivalo Ivalo ( smn, Avveel, se, Avvil, sms, Âʹvvel) is a village in the municipality of Inari, Lapland, Finland, located on the Ivalo River south of Lake Inari in the Arctic Circle. It has a population of 3,998 and a small airport. south of Ival ...
and tested positive for
SARS-CoV-2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had a ...
. She had travelled from Wuhan. She was quarantined at Lapland Central Hospital in
Rovaniemi Rovaniemi ( , ; sme, Roavvenjárga ; smn, Ruávinjargâ; sms, Ruäʹvnjargg) is a city and municipality of Finland. It is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost province, Lapland, and its southern part Per ...
. The woman recovered and was discharged on 5 February after testing negative on two consecutive days. On 30 January, Finland's health officials estimated that up to 24 people may have been exposed to the virus.


February 2020

By 5 February, three of the potentially exposed individuals were known to have left the country, and 14 of the remaining 21 had been placed in quarantine and were expected to be released over the following weekend. On 26 February, Finland's health officials confirmed the second case: a Finnish woman, who made a trip to Milan and was back in Finland on 22 February, tested positive at the
Helsinki University Central Hospital Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH; fi, Helsingin seudun yliopistollinen keskussairaala; sv, Helsingfors universitets centralsjukhus) is a hospital network in Finland. It is one of the largest hospitals in Europe. It encompasses 17 hospi ...
. On 28 February, a Finnish woman who had travelled to Northern Italy tested positive by the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District and was advised to remain in home isolation.


March 2020

On 1 March, three new cases—associates of the woman diagnosed with the virus on 28 February—were confirmed in the Helsinki region. They were instructed to remain in isolation at home. This brought the total number of infections diagnosed in Finland to five. Later that day, 130 people, including students at
Helsinki University The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public university, public Research university, research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turk ...
's Viikki teacher training school, were placed in quarantine after having been in close contact with one of the diagnosed. On 5 March, five new cases were confirmed: three in
Uusimaa Uusimaa (; sv, Nyland, ; both lit. 'new land') is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme), and Kymenlaakso. Finland's capital and largest city, He ...
, one in
Pirkanmaa Pirkanmaa (; sv, Birkaland; la, Birkaria, link=no), also known as ''Tampere Region'' in government documents, is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, South Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Päijät-Häme, Kanta-Häme and Sou ...
and one in
Tavastia Proper Tavastia or Tavastland may refer to: * Häme (Swedish: ''Tavastland'', Latin: ''Tavastia'') * Tavastia (historical province), a historical province of the kingdom of Sweden, located in modern-day Finland * Tavastia (constituency), formerly Tavasti ...
. One of the cases in Uusimaa, a working age woman, is associated with the earlier cases in the Helsinki region. The other cases, two working age men, had travelled in northern Italy. All of the patients were in good health and were advised to stay at home. The case in Tavastia Proper is a child of a
Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna (; sv, Tavastehus; krl, Hämienlinna; la, Tavastum or ''Croneburgum'') is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Tavastia and the modern province of Kanta-Häme in the south of F ...
family that recently visited northern Italy. The family has been in voluntary home quarantine after the trip and nobody else is known to have been in close contact with the patient. The case in Pirkanmaa, a 44-year-old woman, is also in home quarantine and in good health. Three people have been in close contact with her. This brought the total number of confirmed cases in Finland to twelve. On 6 March, the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), announced that four new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the country, bringing the total number of infections to 19. On 8 March, THL confirmed four new cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections to 23. On 9 March, 10 more cases were reported, of which 3 in
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
and 7 in other regions, increasing the number of infections to 33. On 11 March, 19 new cases were reported, including 10 in
Uusimaa Uusimaa (; sv, Nyland, ; both lit. 'new land') is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme), and Kymenlaakso. Finland's capital and largest city, He ...
region, three in
Pirkanmaa Pirkanmaa (; sv, Birkaland; la, Birkaria, link=no), also known as ''Tampere Region'' in government documents, is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, South Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Päijät-Häme, Kanta-Häme and Sou ...
, one in
Central Finland Central Finland ( fi, Keski-Suomi; sv, Mellersta Finland) is a Regions of Finland, region ( / ) in Finland. It borders the regions of Päijät-Häme, Pirkanmaa, South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, Northern Savonia, No ...
, one in
Tavastia Proper Tavastia or Tavastland may refer to: * Häme (Swedish: ''Tavastland'', Latin: ''Tavastia'') * Tavastia (historical province), a historical province of the kingdom of Sweden, located in modern-day Finland * Tavastia (constituency), formerly Tavasti ...
in
Forssa Forssa is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located almost in the centre of a triangle defined by the three largest major cities in Finland (Helsinki, Turku and Tampere), in the Tavastia Proper region, and which is crossed by Highway 2 ...
, one in
South Karelia South Karelia ( fi, Etelä-Karjala; sv, Södra Karelen) is a Regions of Finland, region of Finland. It borders the regions of Kymenlaakso, Southern Savonia, South Savo and North Karelia, as well as Russia (Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Obla ...
, one in
South Ostrobothnia South Ostrobothnia ( fi, Etelä-Pohjanmaa; sv, Södra Österbotten) is one of the 19 regions of Finland. It borders the regions of Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Pirkanmaa, and Satakunta. Among the Finnish regions, South O ...
and one in
Southwest Finland Southwest Finland, calqued as Finland Proper ( fi, Varsinais-Suomi ; sv, Egentliga Finland), is a region in the southwest of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Pirkanmaa, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Uusimaa, and Åland. The regi ...
. On 12 March, 50 new cases were reported. An employee at the Helsinki-Uusimaa Hospital district (HUS) has tested positive for novel coronavirus. On 13 March, according to THL, Finland became close to the epidemic threshold as the total confirmed cases increased to 156. Several regions in Finland start to limit laboratory testing of suspected coronavirus cases based on importance criteria. THL instructs the public not to contact health care providers and stay at home for mild symptoms. On 15 March, the Helsinki and Uusimaa hospital district (HUS) decided people returning to Finland from trips abroad will not necessarily be tested for novel coronavirus. On 16 March, the
Finnish Government sv, Finlands statsråd , border = , image = File:Finnish Government logo.png , image_size = 250 , caption = , date = , state = Republic of Finland , polity = , coun ...
, jointly with the
President of Finland The president of the Republic of Finland ( fi, Suomen tasavallan presidentti; sv, Republiken Finlands president) is the head of state of Finland. Under the Constitution of Finland, executive power is vested in the Finnish Government and the p ...
, declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19. 272 laboratory-confirmed cases caused by COVID-19 had been diagnosed in Finland by 16 March 2020 at 2 PM. The head of THL, Markku Tervahauta, told
MTV3 MTV3 ( fi, MTV Kolme, sv, MTV Tre) is a Finnish commercial television station. It had the biggest audience share of all Finnish TV channels until Yle TV1 (from Yle) took the lead. The letters MTV stand for Mainos-TV (literally "Advertisement ...
that the actual number of COVID-19 cases might be 20–30 times higher than what had been confirmed by testing, due to the fact that testing was limited to risk groups, the severely ill, and healthcare workers. On 16 March, the Government also announced they had decided to take the following measures by issuing a decree on implementing the Emergency Powers Act. The measures were scheduled to be in place until 13 April, after approval by the
Parliament of Finland The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The ...
, but were later extended to 13 May: * All schools will be closed, not including early education. * Most government-run public facilities (theatres, libraries, museums etc.) will be shut down. * Critical personnel will be exempted from the Working Hours Act and Annual Holidays Act, both in the private and public sector. * At most 10 people can participate in a public meeting, and people over the age of 70 should avoid human contact if possible. * Outsiders are forbidden from entering healthcare facilities and hospitals, excluding relatives of critically ill people and children. * The capacity of social and healthcare will be increased in the private and public sector, while less critical activity will be decreased. * Preparations for the shutdown of borders will start, and citizens or permanent residents returning to Finland will be placed under a 2-week
quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...
. THL considers the figure given by the Finnish Infectious Diseases Register as the official figure, and on 19 March, 304 of the confirmed cases had been reported to the register. The following day, approximately 450 cases had been confirmed in the country. The highest number of cases have been identified in the Helsinki and Uusimaa hospital district in southern Finland. The first death, an elderly individual who lived in the Helsinki and Uusimaa hospital district, who had died a day earlier, was reported on 21 March. On 23 March, it was reported that former president
Martti Ahtisaari Martti Oiva Kalevi Ahtisaari (; born 23 June 1937) is a Finnish politician, the tenth president of Finland (1994–2000), a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and a United Nations diplomat and mediator noted for his international peace work. Ahtisa ...
had contracted the disease. His wife and former first lady, Eeva Ahtisaari, was confirmed to have the disease on Saturday 21 March. On 27 March, the Parliament voted unanimously to temporarily close the borders of the Uusimaa region, which has the most confirmed cases, in hopes of slowing down the epidemic in the rest of the country. The restriction came into force the following midnight. Uusimaa has 1.7 million inhabitants, nearly one third of Finland's total population, and contains the capital city Helsinki. Travel to and from Uusimaa was prohibited without a valid reason and several hundred police officers were enforcing the restriction with the assistance of the
Finnish Defence Forces The Finnish Defence Forces ( fi, Puolustusvoimat, sv, Försvarsmakten) are the military of Finland. The Finnish Defence Forces consist of the Finnish Army, the Finnish Navy and the Finnish Air Force. In wartime the Finnish Border Guard (which i ...
.


April 2020

On 15 April, travel restrictions between Uusimaa region and the rest of the country were lifted.


May 2020

On 4 May, the government decided on a schedule to lift some of the restrictions. Libraries are to be opened for borrowing right away. On 14 May, kindergartens and elementary schools were to return to normal education, and limits on other educational institutions are lifted. Also, international work trips within the
Schengen Area The Schengen Area ( , ) is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and j ...
would be allowed, and outdoor sports venues would be allowed to open, both with some limitations.


June 2020

On 1 June, the maximum number of people allowed to meet was increased to 50, eating at restaurants and sports competitions was allowed, both "with special arrangements", and public indoor places were opened gradually. According to a government decision on 11 June, from 15 June on, travellers entering from the Baltic countries and the other Nordic countries except Sweden will no longer have to stay quarantined for two weeks. Other international travel restrictions remain as they are. From 1 July onwards, outdoor events with more than 500 people will be allowed in cases it is possible to keep a safe distance between people.


July 2020

On 8 July, the government announced that border controls for travel between Finland and several EU and Schengen countries, with low infection rates, will be abolished. Also travel for work and other necessary reasons would be allowed from 11 countries outside Europe, effective 13 July. Border controls were reinstated for arrivals from Austria, Slovenia and Switzerland on 27 July, because of a rise in the infection rates in these countries. At the same time, unrestricted travel became allowed from 9 countries outside the EU.


August 2020

On 3 August, a coronavirus testing facility for arriving passengers was opened in Helsinki Airport. On the same day, THL confirmed they will issue a recommendation to wear facemasks in public places where it is not possible to keep a distance of 1.5 to 2 metres. On 4 August, an app to trace people who have been in contact with infected individuals will be launched as a pilot version for City of Helsinki and Pirkanmaa Hospital District employees. The app is scheduled to become available to the public from 31 August. On 13 August, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare issued a recommendation to use face masks in situations where it's not possible to practice
social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious disea ...
. The recommendation applies all regions of Finland except North Karelia, East Savonia, and south and central Ostrobothnia, and doesn't apply to children under the age of 15 or those who have health reasons for not wearing a mask.


September 2020

The app for tracing coronavirus was released on 31 August and health authorities expected it to take one month to reach one million users, but that number was reached within 24 hours. According to a decision by the government on 10 September, the maximum limit of cases per 100000 inhabitants for countries to allow travel was raised to 25. In addition, people entering from countries with more cases per capita would be required to take a coronavirus test, according to Minister of Transport Timo Harakka (SDP). The law mandating the tests would come into effect in October. Based on this decision land borders with Sweden and Norway were reopened for unrestricted travel on 19 September, together with travel from five European countries and ten countries outside Europe. On 22 September, the government announced reintroduction of quarantine recommendations for people entering from Sweden and Estonia beginning on 28 September because the number of cases per capita had exceeded the limit in these countries. According to the Border Guard reintroduction of checks at the aforementioned land borders is "entirely possible". On 22 September THL announced they will issue regional face mask recommendations for public places in parts of Finland where the number of cases are on the rise. On 24 September, Finland began to use dogs to detect coronavirus.


October 2020

On 1 October, THL announced that the number of detected coronavirus cases in Finland had exceeded 10,000. On 30 October, 344 new cases were reported. This was a new high for a single day since the beginning of the pandemic.


December 2020

Finland received its first allotment of Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine on 28 December. Vaccinations began the following day with front-line ICU healthcare workers of the Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) district becoming the first to receive the inoculation. On 28 December, Finland reported their first cases of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, after a person who travelled from Western Europe tested positive for COVID-19. On the same day, a separate, second variant from
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
was also reported in Finland, after two people tested positive for COVID-19.


February 2021

In February 2021, a coronavirus variant first thought to be unique was found in Finland. The variant, dubbed Fin-796H, displayed some mutations previously discovered in the British and South African variants of the virus. However, it later turned out that this variant had been previously discovered in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, among other places.


June 2022

By the end of June 2022, all restrictions had been lifted in the country.


July 2022

In July 2022, the
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL, fi, Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos, sv, Institutet för hälsa och välfärd; until 2019, National Institute for Health and Welfare) is a Finnish research and development institute operating ...
issued a statement arguing that Finland was transitioning into the
endemic phase of COVID-19 the global COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, but the disease may shift from a pandemic stage to an endemic stage in the future. Endemicity is characterized by people continuing to be infected and becoming ill, but in relatively stable number ...
. It was covered widely in Finnish media.


Response by sector


Government response

On 16 March 2020, the Finnish Government, in cooperation with the
President of Finland The president of the Republic of Finland ( fi, Suomen tasavallan presidentti; sv, Republiken Finlands president) is the head of state of Finland. Under the Constitution of Finland, executive power is vested in the Finnish Government and the p ...
, declared a
state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
in the country. A list of measures intended to slow down the spreading of the virus and to protect at-risk groups were implemented in accordance with the Emergency Powers Act (1552/2011), the Communicable Diseases Act (1227/2016), and other legislation. The measures include the closing of schools (excluding early education) and most government-run public facilities, limiting public gatherings, and closing the country's borders. The restrictions were scheduled to last until 13 April, but in late March they were extended to 13 May. On 20 March, the government announced a €15 billion support package to aid businesses and individuals suffering from the economic slowdown resulting from the virus. This was a €10 billion increase to a previous support package, announced 16 March. Among the presented changes was a 2.6% decrease in employee pension payments until the end of 2020. On 25 March, the government decided to restrict movement between the Uusimaa region and the rest of Finland. However, people were allowed to move between regions due to job requirement or for compelling personal reasons. The proposal also did not affect cargo or freight transportation. On 15 April, movement restrictions between Uusimaa and the rest of the country were removed.


Consumer response

Similar to other countries, the emergence of the virus has increased sales and stockpiling of daily goods, such as groceries and hygiene products. Fears of quarantine and potential shortages has led to
panic buying Panic buying (alternatively hyphenated as panic-buying; also known as panic purchasing) occurs when consumers buy unusually large amounts of a product in anticipation of, or after, a disaster or perceived disaster, or in anticipation of a large ...
, particularly of
canned goods Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container ( jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although ...
,
hand sanitiser Hand sanitizer (also known as hand antiseptic, hand disinfectant, hand rub, or handrub) is a liquid, gel or foam generally used to kill many viruses/bacteria/microorganisms on the hands. In most settings, hand washing with soap and water is gen ...
, and
toilet paper Toilet paper (sometimes called toilet tissue or bathroom tissue) is a tissue paper product primarily used to clean the anus and surrounding anal region of feces after defecation, and to clean the perineal area and external genitalia of u ...
. On 15 March 2020, the Central Finnish Cooperative Society ( S-Group subsidiary) reported an estimated two to three times as many visitors as usual.
Kesko sv, Kesko Abp , logo = Kesko logo.svg , logo_size = 150px , type = Julkinen osakeyhtiö , traded_as = , foundation = , location_city = Helsinki , location_country = Finland , key_people = Mikko Helander (President and CEO), Esa Ki ...
reported similar increases. The practice of
self-isolation In health care facilities, isolation represents one of several measures that can be taken to implement in infection control: the prevention of communicable diseases from being transmitted from a patient to other patients, health care workers ...
has also increased demand for
online grocer An online grocer is either a brick-and-mortar supermarket or grocery store that allows online ordering, or a standalone e-commerce service that includes grocery items. There is usually a delivery charge for this service. Brick-and-mortar supermark ...
s. In addition to a reduction in economic activity, the pandemic has significantly reduced the use of cash in Finland. The Bank of Finland – the
central bank A central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the currency and monetary policy of a country or monetary union, and oversees their commercial banking system. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central ba ...
 of the country – revealed in August 2020 that based on the amount of orders from and returns of cash to the bank, the use of cash had diminished by 15 percent compared to 2019. According to the
OP Financial Group OP Financial Group is one of the largest financial companies in Finland. It consists of 180 cooperative banks and their central organization. “OP” stands for “osuuspankki” in Finnish, literally meaning “cooperative bank”. The financi ...
, cash withdrawals had decreased up to 40 to 50 percent compared to 2019.
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and
contactless payment Contactless payment systems are credit cards and debit cards, key fobs, smart cards, or other devices, including smartphones and other mobile devices, that use radio-frequency identification (RFID) or near-field communication (NFC, e.g. Samsun ...
s increased in popularity; according to Juha Andelin, the development director of
Kesko sv, Kesko Abp , logo = Kesko logo.svg , logo_size = 150px , type = Julkinen osakeyhtiö , traded_as = , foundation = , location_city = Helsinki , location_country = Finland , key_people = Mikko Helander (President and CEO), Esa Ki ...
, contactless payments increased the most, reaching 60 percent of all card payments.


Private sector response

In conjunction with the government, many companies have ramped up in a short amount of time (roughly two months) the production of various equipment, such as respirators, for the healthcare system. The government is also preparing to keep domestic production after the crisis, so that in the future there will be availability from the start of the crisis. This is because of problems in the global supply. There are also other private companies retooling to produce products for the healthcare sector and consumer market on their own initiative. Fiscal & Employment Response The government created budget proposals utilizing 3 percent of the GDP towards pension payments, social assistance programs, and grants to both dependent and self-employed workers. Amongst a few supplementary budget proposals presented by the Finnish government, one proposal on May 8, 2020, provided supplements for restaurants, businesses, public vaccine research, and state ownership. With the service sector encompassing over two thirds of the labor force, the government put in place a strategy to revive the restaurant industry. A supplement procured on May 6, 2020, provided restaurants and cafes with financial subsidies of up to 15% of their total losses as a result of the pandemic. In addition to coming to the aid of businesses, Finland also provided support for their constituents employment protection by offering immediate unemployment assistance in March 2020 to those who faced lay-offs and self-employed individuals. This got rid of the five day lag time of receiving unemployment benefits. As of 2019, Finland has the highest social protection in public unemployment spending at 1.94% of the overall GDP among the OECD countries. As of the second quarter of 2021, Finland employs 71.9% of the working population. While there was a sharp decline in the active labor force in Q2 of 2020, the labor force is forecasted to steadily rise and is currently above 2.7 million people.


Breakdown of cases


Charts


New cases per day

Below is a list of confirmed transmissions by sample date, as recorded by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)


Deaths per day


Number of confirmed cases by hospital districts

Below is the breakdown of confirmed cases in all 21 hospital districts of Finland as of August 13, 2021.


National Emergency Supply Agency scandal

The National Emergency Supply Agency of Finland or NESA ( or HVK) attempted hastened purchase of masks near the end of March. This led to a widely reported scandal that resulted in the resignation and firing of a number of people at NESA. Consulting company
Deloitte Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of profession ...
was later hired to find out what had happened. Then in charge of the primary production department, Jyrki Hakola told Deloitte that businessman Onni Sarmaste approached him as a representative of 's Estonian cosmetic surgery company The Look Medical Care OÜ offering the sale of protective equipment. Jylhä is a former reality TV personality with a criminal record that includes aggravated
debtor's dishonesty Dishonesty is to act without honesty. It is used to describe a lack of probity, cheating, lying, or deliberately withholding information, or being deliberately deceptive or a lack in integrity, knavishness, perfidiosity, corruption or treacherousne ...
,
tax evasion Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the taxp ...
, numerous accounting crimes, and at the time was being charged with aggravated doping crime, while Sarmaste also had a long criminal record. Sarmaste explained that he had medical grade masks in China and could send over certificates and documentation. After the negotiations with Sarmaste, the following day The Look Medical Care issued an order confirmation to Hakola. Hakola then received two
pro forma The term ''pro forma'' (Latin for "as a matter of form" or "for the sake of form") is most often used to describe a practice or document that is provided as a courtesy or satisfies minimum requirements, conforms to a Convention (norm), norm or ...
bills for approximately five million euros each from both Jylhä's The Look Medical Care and Sarmaste's LDN Legal Partners. Hakola asked both parties which company the transaction would be continued with. Hakola says The Look Medical Care did not respond but Sarmaste responded that the payment should be to his LDN Legal Partners, for ease of delivering the funds to China. Hakola confirmed the deal with Sarmaste in an email and cancelled the agreement with The Look Medical Care. On 30 March, NESA paid LDN Legal Partners a sum of 4,980,000 euros. The bill was fact-verified by Hakola and confirmed by then administrative director Asko Harjula and chief executive officer Tomi Lounema. The next day Sarmaste called Hakola and reported that the payment done to the Belgian money transfer service had been frozen. At the same time Sarmaste asked for the payment to be instead done to his other company Finance Group Helsinki Finnish bank account. The first payment done to the Belgian service had not been returned yet, but Sarmaste assured that it would happen. At this time, various tax liabilities that Finance Group Helsinki had were brought to Hakola and Harjula's attention. Hakola told Deloitte that he contemplated the matter and then resolved to make the payment regardless of the liabilities and the previous payment still having not been having returned. NESA again paid 4,980,000 euros to Finance Group Helsinki on 31 March, and the Belgian payment was returned only an hour later. The delivery of the equipment had been agreed in the fashion that LDN Legal Partners would deliver them to
Guangzhou Airport Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is the major airport of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, in Southern China. Both airport codes were inherited from the former Baiyun Airport, and the IATA code is derived from Guangzhou's historical romani ...
, with NESA then handling the flight to take them over to Finland themselves. The products were to be brought all at once on 1 April. However, the
Finnair Finnair ( fi, Finnair Oyj, sv, Finnair Abp) is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters in Vantaa on the grounds of Helsinki Airport, its hub. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both domestic and internationa ...
charter flight had to be rescheduled twice because of Sarmaste asking them to wait as the manufacture of the products had not yet been finished. During this time, Jylhä's company continued contacting Hakola, offering new agreements. They ended up reaching a deal where the free space on the plane would be used for Jylhä's equipment. The company again handed over a pro forma bill for 5,130,000 euros on 2 April. The payment would be split between an advance payment and another payment when the order was ready to be loaded to the plane. The bill had been signed by Jylhä. Hakola approved that order in the morning. Later in the day an expert from Hansel Ltd. reported that Jylhä's company had no
VAT identification number A value-added tax identification number or VAT identification number (VATIN) is an identifier used in many countries, including the countries of the European Union, for value-added tax purposes. In the EU, a VAT identification number can be veri ...
or
credit rating A credit rating is an evaluation of the credit risk of a prospective debtor (an individual, a business, company or a government), predicting their ability to pay back the debt, and an implicit forecast of the likelihood of the debtor defaulting. ...
. This was reported to both Hakola and Harjula. Nevertheless, NESA paid 2,655,000 euros to an Estonian bank account of The Look Medical Care. On 3 April, CEO Lounema announced publicly that there had been 11 planes worth of protective equipment ordered to Finland. Following this, the delivery was finally set to be done on 6 April as the flights could not be rescheduled more. Only a portion of the equipment promised by Sarmaste was delivered. On 8 April,
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd is a state-owned and controlled non-profit limited liability company. VTT is the largest research and technology company and research centre conducting applied research in Finland. It provides resear ...
found in their tests that the masks received were not fit for hospital use (later on 22 April
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
reported that they had in fact been manufactured at a handbag factory by Guangzhou Jingpeng Leather and also at a protective film factory by Dongguan Nidy Technology). On 8 April, it was also found out that the Estonian
Luminor Bank Luminor Bank AS is a bank headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia, with branches in Latvia and Lithuania. It is the third-largest bank in the Baltics and in Estonia. Luminor has a deposit market share of 16% and lending market share of 22%. Lumin ...
had frozen the payment to Jylhä's The Look Medical Care. Prodded by Jylhä, Hakola sent Luminor and Estonia's
Ministry of the Interior (Estonia) The Ministry of the Interior of Estonia ( et, Eesti Siseministeerium) is a Ministry in the Estonian Government. The current Minister of the Interior is Lauri Läänemets. In 2018, Estonia’s ministry of interior planned to introduce the worl ...
an email where he assured NESA had made the payment and asked to defreeze it.


Discovery and aftermath

Late 8 April ''
Suomen Kuvalehti ''Suomen Kuvalehti'' (lit. "Finland's picture magazine", or "The Finnish picture magazine") is a weekly Finnish language family and news magazine published in Helsinki, Finland. History and profile ''Suomen Kuvalehti'' was founded in 1873 and pu ...
'' published a bombshell story of the murky dealings by NESA with Sarmaste and Jylhä and of the dispute between the two. By the next day on 9 April it was headline news. Jylhä told the press she had made a deal with NESA for a delivery of masks. She said Sarmaste had snatched the large deal by giving NESA a different Belgian account number. Sarmaste replied to this accusation by stating he had made his own deal with NESA. On the same day NESA held a press conference where Lounema gave the agency's version of what had happened. He said they had made separate deals with Sarmaste and Jylhä, both for approximately 5 million euros. After this there were newspaper reports of Sarmaste's 11-page record of
debt restructuring Debt restructuring is a process that allows a private or public company or a sovereign entity facing cash flow problems and financial distress to reduce and renegotiate its delinquent debts to improve or restore liquidity so that it can continue ...
s, and
Helsingin Sanomat ''Helsingin Sanomat'', abbreviated ''HS'' and colloquially known as , is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. Its name derives from that of ...
discovered that Jylhä's certificate for the masks was a counterfeit. On 10 April, prime minister Sanna Marin said in an
Ilta-Sanomat ''Ilta-Sanomat'' () is one of Finland's two prominent tabloid size evening newspaper and the second largest paper in the country. Its counterpart and biggest rival is ''Iltalehti''. According to the National Media Research done in 2019 ''Ilta- ...
interview that Tomi Lounema no longer had her support as the chief executive officer of NESA. Later the same day Minister of Employment
Tuula Haatainen Tuula Irmeli Haatainen (born 11 February 1960) is a Finnish politician and a member of the Finnish Parliament, with the Social Democratic Party. She was the Minister of Education 2003–2005 and the Minister of Social Affairs and Health 2005–20 ...
stated in a press meeting that Lounema had notified her of his resignation. The next day Jyrki Hakola and Asko Harjula were also released from their work obligation. In mid-April a report from consulting company
KPMG KPMG International Limited (or simply KPMG) is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations. Headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands, although incorporated in London, England, KPMG is a net ...
found that NESA didn't have readiness for exceptional, rapid global acquirement of technical tools, resources and procedures. Hakola told Deloitte that even on 22 April he had received a call from The Look Medical Center complaining of the money still being frozen in the Estonian bank account. Also on 22 April Sarmaste and an accomplice were detained on suspicion of fraud, although they were freed two days later while still under investigation. On 8 May it was reported Hakola and Harjula had been fired. Also on 8 May Jylhä's The Look Medical Company cancelled their agreement with NESA and sent a request for 3 million euros in compensation for damages. On 15 May
Yle Yleisradio Oy ( Finnish, literally "General Radio Ltd." or "General Broadcast Ltd."; abbr. Yle ; sv, Rundradion Ab, italics=no), translated to English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, found ...
reported that Hakola was being investigated by National Bureau of Investigation for breach of trust. On 3 June Jylhä's money was still frozen in Estonia and a local court case concerning the matter was under way. On 16 June it was reported that the police investigation of NESA had been expanded to three suspects. In late June the report by Deloitte was publicized. They found that during the time span of 14.2.–11.4 NESA had placed 27 different orders for protective equipment. NESA had received approximately 3000 emails with offers for protective equipment. However the details of most agreements weren't fully noted and specifics written down, making it possible some weren't reported about at all. It was found that NESA hadn't properly prepared for organizational procurement in this sort of a situation that asked for a quick response, and that its ability to function cohesively in a demanding situation was lacking. On 14 July Estonian court decided that NESA has the right to cancel the agreement with Jylhä's company after it had failed to deliver the products on time. Jylhä's company was ordered to pay back the advance payment it had received.


See also

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COVID-19 pandemic in Europe The global COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Europe with its first confirmed case in Bordeaux, France, on 24 January 2020, and subsequently spread widely across the continent. By 17 March 2020, every country in Europe had confirmed a case, and all ...
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COVID-19 pandemic by country and territory This is a general overview and status of places affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The first human ...


Notes


References


External links


Finland's National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL): Coronavirus COVID-19 – Latest Updates
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Coronavirus COVID-19 – daily report
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Coronavirus COVID-19 – dashboard
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Coronavirus COVID-19 Open data API
{{Portal bar, COVID-19, Finland, Medicine, Viruses
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
Disease outbreaks in Finland 2020 in Finland 2021 in Finland 2020 disasters in Finland 2021 disasters in Finland