All who arrived from UK on/after 7 Dec urged to take coronavirus test

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) recommends that people travelling to Finland from the UK on or after 7 December 2020 should have themselves tested for coronavirus, even if they don’t show symptoms of the disease.

The aim of the testing is to ensure that a new strain of the virus does not spread in Finland through people who are infected but may be asymptomatic, said THL in a press release on Wednesday.

The recommendation to be tested for coronavirus also applies to those who have already been tested for the virus once or twice after coming to Finland from the UK.

The recommendation does not apply to persons who have been placed in quarantine or isolation on the orders of an epidemiologist. In such a case, they are urged to follow the epidemiologist’s instructions.

The number of cases of coronavirus has increased sharply in the UK in recent weeks, despite actions taken in the country to restrict the spread. The new strain of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01) explains about 50 per cent of the increase in the number of cases of infection.

No new cases of the new COVID-19 virus strain have been detected in Finland yet. On 20 December 2020, following a statement issued by the THL, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) decided to put an immediate stop to passenger flights from the UK to Finland.