Ban on festivals, mass gatherings continues till July 31

The government has decided that the ongoing ban on public events and mass gatherings will continue until at least 31 July.

The government, after consulting experts for their assessment of the situation, met on Wednesday to update the country’s strategy for preventing the spread of coronavirus, said a government press release.

The release said public events and gatherings of more than 500 people should continue to be banned until at least 31 July. Under the Communicable Diseases Act, the Regional State Administrative Agencies can prohibit public events and gatherings for no more than one month at a time.

As far as events in late summer and early autumn are concerned, an assessment will be made no later than early June.

The government continues to aim at preventing the spread of the virus, safeguarding the capacity of the healthcare system, and protectiung people, especially those who are most at risk.

The efforts to curb the progress of the epidemic in Finland have so far been successful, the meeting observed.

Consequently, the government considers that Finland can transfer gradually and in a controlled way from a social situation in which there are extensive restrictive measures to one in which management of the epidemic is at an enhanced level, in line with the Communicable Diseases Act.

However, the all restrictive measures cannot be lifted at once, because the situation is still serious.

A preparation group is formed led by Permanent Secretary Martti Hetemäki to draw up a plan by May 1 for exiting the restrictive measures in a timely manner and for moving to the next stage in curbing the progress of the disease. The government is scheduled to meet on May 3 to discuss the issue.

The preparation group’s proposals concerning educational establishments and early childhood education and care will be presented in such a way that decisions on the continuation of restrictive measures can already be taken before the beginning of May. This will ensure that education-providers have time to make preparations for arranging contact teaching, if necessary.

The government will closely monitor the impact of the decisions made on the progress of the disease and, if the situation warrants, is ready to take further measures as necessary.