A child studied at home due to the coronavirus-induced school closures in Helsinki on 17 March 2020. (Antti Aimo-Koivisto – Lehtikuva)

FAMILIES in Finland are faced with a lengthy quarantine if one member tests positive for the new coronavirus.

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) on Friday announced it has extended the duration of the quarantine required from people who have come into contact with someone who has contracted the virus from 10 to 14 days. If the carrier is a member of the same family, however, the duration of the quarantine should be 21 days.

Candles and people at the scene of the murder of a 16-year-old boy in Helsinki on 10 December 2020. (Antti Aimo-Koivisto – Lehtikuva)

OFFICERS at Helsinki Police Department have discovered indications that at least a degree of premeditation was associated with the deadly assault of a 16-year-old boy in Koskela, a northern neighbourhood in the Finnish capital, on 4 December.

“We've clarified the sequence of events,” Marko Forss, the detective chief inspector in charge of the pre-trial inquiry, stated to Helsingin Sanomat on 21 January.

Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo’s database was hacked in November 2018. (Emmi Korhonen – Lehtikuva)

THE OWNER of Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo has requested that its acquisition of the hacking-embroiled company be nullified and the purchase price be returned, writes Helsingin Sanomat.

PTK Midco, a holding company owned by Intera Partners, continued to claim that Ville Tapio, the ex-chief executive of Vastaamo, knew about but did not disclose the hacking of the company and the attempts to use the sensitive client data for extortion when negotiating and agreeing to the acquisition.

Passengers examining coronavirus-related instructions at Helsinki Airport on 7 January 2021. (Markku Ulander – Lehtikuva)

A FAILURE TO COMPLY with a quarantine order issued by a physician of infectious diseases may constitute a health protection violation in Finland, reports Helsingin Sanomat.

If the person is ruled to have transmitted the new coronavirus to others deliberately, their actions may be punishable under other sections of the criminal code – as, for example, endangerment of health or even assault.

87-year-old Marielotte Killian received a jab of a coronavirus vaccine in Wiesbaden, Germany, on 19 January 2021. (Arne Dedert – AFP/Lehtikuva)

MUNICIPALITIES in Finland are moving on with coronavirus vaccinations as if approaching a yellow light: some are accelerating to get through the intersection, while others are hitting the brakes, describes Helsingin Sanomat.

The variance arises from the much-publicised problems with vaccine deliveries.

A photojournalist wore a mask as the Finnish government detailed new measures to fight the coronavirus outbreak in Helsinki on 16 March 2020. (Antti Aimo-Koivisto – Lehtikuva)

THE PREPAREDNESS to combat a crisis such as the coronavirus epidemic was not at a particularly high level last spring in Finland, reveals a qualitative study carried out by Deloitte.

The London-based professional services provider interviewed a total of policy makers and central government officials for the study, finding that experiences from earlier drills could only be applied to the coronavirus-induced crisis to a limited extent.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) was photographed at a government news conference in Helsinki on Monday, 25 January 2021. (Markku Ulander – Lehtikuva)

THE GOVERNMENT of Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) is preparing to introduce tougher restrictions to prevent the spread of the new, more transmissible mutations of the new coronavirus in Finland.

Helsingin Sanomat on Monday revealed that the counter-measures could entail additional restrictions on restaurants and, in the most extreme case, movement.

Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Krista Kiuru (SDP) folded a piece of paper in a government press conference in Helsinki on 14 January 2021. (Jussi Nukari – Lehtikuva)

FINLAND will prohibit entry for all but essential work-related reasons, such as those linked to security of supply, as of Wednesday, 27 January.

The Finnish government announced at the end of last week it has decided to toughen entry restrictions in an attempt to reduce cross-border travel and prevent the spread of new, more transmissible variants of the new coronavirus.

Neste received the highest score of the Finnish companies assessed in terms of their human rights performance. (Handout / Tomi Parkkonen – Lehtikuva)

ALTHOUGH THE MAJORITY of Finnish companies are committed to respecting human rights, only a quarter of them evaluate systematically and publicly how their operations impact the realisation of human rights, finds a study commissioned by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.

The main takeaway of the study is most of the 78 companies evaluated remain in the early stages of upholding their human rights responsibilities.