Private goods exchange banned at Tornio border crossing

Private goods exchange will be banned at the Tornio border crossing point between Finland and Sweden starting from 8 a.m. on May 4, reported news agency Xinhua quoting Finnish Border Guard.

In Tornio, western Finland, the area of the border crossing also includes the Victoriantori crossing point, where people on both sides of the border have so far exchanged private goods. A similar exchange of goods has taken place at Highway 4 in the area of the border crossing point.

The anti-COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions set by the Finnish government on April 7 have defined the necessary traffic for freight transport and logistics personnel as permitted cross-border traffic.

The purpose of allowing freight transport staff to travel has been to ensure the functioning of the international logistics chain in exceptional circumstances, in accordance with the guidelines set by the European Commission, according to the Finnish Border Guard.

However, "the transport of goods between individuals or the direct supply of goods by commercial operators to consumers or individuals are not freight transport within the meaning of the government decision, so border crossings for this purpose are subject to travel restrictions," it said.

It added that if products can be purchased without crossing national borders, then border crossings will not be viewed as essential.

As of Sunday afternoon, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Finland has reached 5,254, among which 78 are new cases. There are at least 3,000 people who have recovered from the disease and 230 people died, according to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.