Metropolitan cities to lift COVID restrictions from 1 Oct

The metropolitan area’s coronavirus coordination group proposed to the Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland that there is no need to extend the restrictions on public events after 30 September 2021, said the city of Helsinki in a press release on Tuesday.

At the same time, the coordination group decided that the remaining restrictions on the use of sports facilities and leisure activities by municipalities will be lifted as of 1 October.

Open-use sports facilities such as swimming pools, gyms and group exercise classes will no longer be subject to attendance restrictions from the beginning of October.

At the same time, the guideline for recreational activities in city-managed facilities will be changed from an obligation to a recommendation.

In the future, it is recommended that recreational activities continue to be organised in such a way that the recreational group meets within the same group composition, that contact with other recreational groups is avoided and that no one participates in recreational activities when they have symptoms of the flu.

In recreational activities, it is recommended to avoid unnecessary physical contact and to follow general guidelines on hand and cough hygiene. The guidelines for recreational activities are valid until further notice.

The extensive recommendations on remote work and the use of masks will remain in force until further notice.

In addition, the cities of the Helsinki metropolitan area and the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa will propose to the Government to urgently prepare its proposal to amend Section 48 of the Communicable Diseases Act. The coronavirus coordination group considers that the social and health care workers covered by the section should also be protected by vaccination against the disease caused by the coronavirus.

The Cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, and the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland established the Metropolitan Area coronavirus coordination group on 10 September 2020.

In addition to the Cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa, the City of Kauniainen also follows the restrictions and recommendations of the coordination group.