The Zero Accident Forum granted annual safety level classifications to its member workplaces, celebrating work communities that were able to improve their occupational safety. All in all, 87 workplaces from various industries received a safety level classification. Of these, 33 workplaces reached the goal of zero accidents in 2020. The workplaces will discuss the best practices of their safety work in an open online seminar on Tuesday, 4 May 2021.

A medical professional administered a doze of the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine in a vaccination centre in Jätkäsaari, Helsinki, on 8 April 2021. (Emmi Korhonen – Lehtikuva)

THE PACE of Covid-19 vaccinations varies significantly from region to region in Finland, reports Helsingin Sanomat.

While the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) has administered a vaccine dose to 43 per cent of 65–69-year-olds, the corresponding share stands at 18 per cent in Päijät-Häme and eight per cent in Kainuu.

LEHTIKUVA / AFP

Eight months after mild COVID-19, one in ten people still has at least one moderate to severe symptom that is perceived as having a negative impact on their work, social or home life, according to a new study.

The most common long-term symptoms are a loss of smell and taste and fatigue. This is according to a study published in the journal JAMA, conducted by researchers at Danderyd Hospital and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

Earnings-related pension insurance company Varma invested EUR 200 million in the sustainable ETF by the global asset management firm BlackRock. Through its investment, Varma's intention is to support companies in lowering their carbon emissions and to reduce the carbon footprint of its own investments. BlackRock is one of the largest asset managers in the world.

A model presents a creation from Spanish brand Maison Mesa's Autumn - Winter 2021 / 2022 collection during the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Madrid on April 10, 2021. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

The most eye-catching news images of this week, from all around the world.

The Tampere Worker's Theatre plans to lay off 120 employees this year/Lehtikuva

Multiple industries in Finland have been hit hard by coronavirus restrictions, with the greatest losses suffered by the restaurant, hospitality, arts and entertainment sectors. 

According to Helsingin Uutiset, the  arts and recreation industry (which includes cultural, entertainment and recreational activities such as music, theater, museums and sports) in the country is facing losses of up to 700 million euros this year due to the ongoing pandemic. 

While high schools and vocational schools in the Helsinki metropolitan area will return to partial contact teaching this week, experts warn that the preceding months of distance learning could have long-term effects on students’ mental and emotional wellbeing.  

Several teenagers have reported feelings of loneliness, isolation, anxiety and depression that were intensified by interruptions in daily activities and limited social contact during the pandemic.

The BBC has been forced to open on Saturday an online complaints page after being flooded with messages from viewers accusing it of excessive coverage of Prince Philip's death.

"We're receiving complaints about too much TV coverage of the death of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. To register a complaint without having to complete our webform or provide any details - apart from your email address (which we'll use to send you our response) - visit this BBC Complaints Page," the broadcaster said in a message posted on its official website.

“It’s up to everyone of us what the summer will be like,” said Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP). (Jussi Nukari – Lehtikuva)

THE GOVERNMENT of Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) on Friday released its preliminary strategy for removing the restrictions necessitated by the coronavirus epidemic in a gradual and controlled fashion.

“The goal is to provide a vision for the coming months for citizens, businesses and other members of society,” Marin summarised at the Government Palace in Helsinki.

A health care professional in the infectious diseases ward of Kainuu Central Hospital in Kajaani on 8 July 2020. (Emmi Korhonen – Lehtikuva)

THE INCIDENCE of coronavirus infections was not significantly higher in health care employees than other working-age people in Finland in 2020, reveals a report published by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

While health care employees make up 7.4 per cent of the working-age population, they accounted for 8.5 per cent of the infections detected last year in working-age people.

A running enthusiast braves the slippery streets and chilly weather of February in Helsinki/Lehtikuva

A new study put Finland in the spotlight this week when it was unveiled as the most physically active country during the pandemic.

Published in the Journal of Frontiers in Psychology, the study examined cross-cultural health behaviors and the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on perceived wellbeing. It also analysed how different confinement measures in multiple countries led to differences in health outcomes.

Restaurants would be allowed to re-open this month under the government’s preliminary strategy for doing away with the restrictions necessitated by the coronavirus outbreak, writes YLE. (Vesa Moilanen – Lehtikuva)

THE FINNISH GOVERNMENT is intent on removing the restrictions on social life as soon as the coronavirus epidemic begins to loosen its strangle hold on society.

YLE on Thursday reported, citing the still unpublished preliminary exit strategy of the government, that the so-called shutdown is set to end this month, while primary schools are set to resume in-person instruction as soon as possible – likely by the end of the month.

Police officers took into custody people who participated in a demonstration against the coronavirus restrictions in Helsinki on Saturday, 10 April 2021. (Heikki Saukkomaa – Lehtikuva)

OFFICERS at Helsinki Police Department brought 20 people into custody for failure to comply with police orders to disperse during a demonstration organised against the restrictions introduced to combat the coronavirus epidemic in Helsinki on Saturday.

An additional 10 motorists were fined for operating their vehicles in a disturbing manner as part of the demonstration.

Finnish startups are attracting international interest, and already more than half of the investments received by Finnish startups come from abroad. The amount invested in Finland by international venture capital (VC) investors has increased ninefold in less than ten years. Since 2013, 272 foreign VC investors from a total of 42 countries have invested in Finnish startups.

Tytti Yli-Viikari, the director general of the National Audit Office of Finland (VTV), was surrounded by members of the media as she was leaving the Parliament Annex in Helsinki on Thursday, 8 April 2021. (Heikki Saukkomaa – Lehtikuva)

TYTTI YLI-VIIKARI, the director general of the National Audit Office of Finland (VTV), has been suspended from duty for the duration of a pre-trial investigation opened into her actions by the National Bureau of Investigation (KRP).

The unanimous decision was made on Thursday by the Chancellery Commission of the Parliament.