The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare’s (THL) head office in Helsinki on 11 March 2020. (Antti Aimo-Koivisto – Lehtikuva)

MARKKU TERVAHAUTA, the director general of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), has reminded that the coronavirus epidemic is expected to escalate despite the fact that the strict restrictions and recommendations seem to have limited the daily number of new infections in Finland.

“If everything goes very well, this epidemic could slow down significantly in the near future,” he stated to Uusi Suomi on Thursday.

Mika Salminen, the head of health security at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), reacted at a government press conference in Helsinki on Wednesday, 1 April 2020. (Vesa Moilanen – Lehtikuva)

THE STRINGENT RESTRICTIONS on movement and social contact adopted by the government have slowed down the spread of the new coronavirus in Finland, tells Mika Salminen, the director of health security at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

Salminen on Wednesday confirmed that the virus is no longer spreading exponentially, as it was expected to do without any restrictions.

VR, the Finnish state-owned railway operator, in mid-March announced it is to reduce services and temporarily lay off all staff for no more than 90 days due to a sharp decline in passenger demand caused by the coronavirus outbreak. (Antti Aimo-Koivisto – Lehtikuva)

NEARLY A FIFTH of Finnish employers are worried about going belly up due to the coronavirus pandemic, finds a survey by the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK).

“The economic emergency of employers has exacerbated rapidly. Temporary lay-offs are increasing sharply, but the threshold for lay-offs remains high even in a time of crisis,” stated Jyri Häkämies, the director general at EK.

Petteri Orpo, the chairperson of the National Coalition, talked to reporters outside the House of the Estates in Helsinki on 24 March 2020. (Antti Aimo-Koivisto – Lehtikuva)

TESTING for Covid-19 should be increased further in Finland, state Petteri Orpo, the chairperson of the National Coalition, and Aki Lindén (SDP), an ex-managing director of the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS).

Lindén on Tuesday acknowledged that testing has already been increased but argued that the capacity must be ramped up further to ensure the coronavirus epidemic can be contained.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) led her fellow cabinet members to a press conference about the coronavirus outbreak in Finland in Helsinki on Monday, 30 March 2020. (Emmi Korhonen – Lehtikuva)

POPULAR SUPPORT for the Social Democratic Party has jumped by 4.4 percentage points to 21.1 per cent in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, finds the most recent opinion poll commissioned by Alma Media.

The Social Democrats and Finns Party traded places at the top of the poll, with the latter seeing its popularity dip by 1.6 percentage points to 20.1 per cent since early February.

A restaurant advertising takeaway food on Iso Roobertinkatu in Helsinki on 27 March 2020. Slumping demand, coupled with the prospect of strict restrictions on operations, has already seen a number of restaurants temporarily lay off staff, according to Mara. (Heikki Saukkomaa – Lehtikuva)

THE NUMBER of Finns who could be laid off, temporarily or permanently, due to the coronavirus outbreak is growing by the day, with an estimate released at the start of this week indicating that employers are in consultative talks with as many as 280,000 employees.

The companies that have announced consultative negotiations include Altia, Fiskars, Konecranes, SSAB and UPM, according to Helsingin Sanomat.

The Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) says its laboratory began to analyse coronavirus samples around the clock on Monday, 30 March 2020. (Teemu Salonen – Lehtikuva)

THE HOSPITAL DISTRICT of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) has announced it will substantially ramp up its laboratory testing capacity for the new coronavirus.

HUS on Monday said its virology and immunology laboratory began to analyse coronavirus samples around the clock seven days a week on Monday, 30 March. HUS will additionally acquire some testing capacity from private service providers.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) delivered an update on the coronavirus situation to members of the media in Helsinki on Monday, 30 March 2020. (Emmi Korhonen – Lehtikuva)

PRIME MINISTER Sanna Marin (SDP) on Monday announced the government will extend its measures to slow down the spread of Covid-19 in Finland until 13 May.

The Finnish government announced a fortnight ago it will invoke the emergency powers act to, for instance, suspend in-person teaching at schools and universities, limit visits to care facilities and order over 70-year-olds to self-isolate in a bid to combat the pandemic.

A conscript assisted police officers inspecting vehicles on the border of Uusimaa in Pyhtää, Southern Finland, on Sunday, 29 March 2020. (Heikki Saukkomaa – Lehtikuva)

COMMUTERS AND MOTORISTS should prepare for notable congestions on the border of Uusimaa, the most populous region of Finland, on Monday.

Helsinki Police Department on Sunday said it is impossible to estimate in advance how long the queues on the border will be, adding that motorists and public transport users alike should reserve more time than usual for their commute into the locked-down region.

Stockpiles of critical goods and equipment in a security of supply reserve in Southern Finland. (Handout – National Emergency Supply Agency)

THE SECURITY OF SUPPLY RESERVES of Finland have been opened to guarantee the availability of health care equipment for the first time in the post-war era due to the coronavirus pandemic, reports Helsingin Sanomat.

The health care reserves were opened last week for the health care districts of five university hospitals under a decision by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.