Movement restrictions to and from Uusimaa withdrawn

The government has withdrawn the restrictions on movement in the region of Uusimaa on Wednesday afternoon.

The decision has been taken as the legal grounds for continuing the temporary restrictions on movement are no longer considered to exist, said an official press release.

In making the decision to lift the restrictions, the government has relied on the assessment of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare concerning the development of the epidemic.

When the travel restrictions entered into force on 28 March, COVID-19 incidence in the region of Uusimaa was increasing significantly faster than in the rest of the country. While Uusimaa still has the highest number of COVID-19 cases, the gap with the rest of the country has narrowed.

The differences between municipalities in the number of cases are also noticeable and, to a large extent, do not reflect the regional boundaries.

During the past week, the incidence in some hospital districts has been, in relative terms, as high or higher than in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa.

However, the government continues to recommend that all unnecessary travel, such as leisure travel, be avoided also in Finland.

Other measures and restrictions to limit the epidemic and protect the population must also be continued and followed.

Earlier in the morning, Prime Minister Sanna Marin told a news conference that the legal requirement of "being absolutely necessary" for the isolation no longer existed, reported news agency Xinhua.

Marin said Finland has not yet reached "the peak" of the COVID-19 epidemic and people should still avoid unnecessary travel.

Marin said the government decision was unanimous. Local media noted that representatives of The Suomen Keskusta (Centre Party of Finland), a component of the five-party alliance government had been critical in their public statements. The party has much of its backing outside Uusimaa.

Representatives of the health districts adjoining Uusimaa on Wednesday commented that the end of the blockade is likely to result in an increase in COVID-19 cases in their regions, in two to three weeks. But a survey carried by news agency USU found that the increase is not likely to exceed their hospital resource levels.

The isolation started from the morning of March 28, when the rate of COVID-19 infections in the Uusimaa region was four times higher than those in the rest of Finland.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Finland had confirmed 3,237 coronavirus infections with 64 deaths and 75 cases being in intensive care, according to the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare.