Helsinki closes indoor sports, public events

The Metropolitan Area coronavirus coordination group on Tuesday recommended that the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland should impose new restrictions on the indoor sports facilities and public events urgently following the worsening coronavirus situation at the metropolitan area, said the City of Helsinki in a press release.

The coronavirus situation has rapidly deteriorated throughout the country and the omicron variant has become the dominant variant for coronavirus infections in the metropolitan area within a short period of time, the group observed.

The group recommended that indoor sports facilities, public saunas, spas, swimming halls, dance venues and facilities for choral singing, amateur theatre or other premises for similar group activities, amusement and theme parks, fairs (circuses) and indoor facilities of zoos, indoor playparks and similar premises and public facilities in shopping centres should be closed immedietly.

The group’s decision-making is based on the principle of “children and young people first”. The group therefore recommended that the new recommendations should not apply to people under 18.

In proposing the closure of premises, it is considered necessary for the government to simultaneously tighten restrictions on at least restaurants and remove the possibility of exemption from restrictions through the COVID-19 passport.

The group also recommended that the use of face masks during the school day will be extended to grades 3–5 from the start of the spring term on 10 January 2022.

The group recommends to the Regional State Administrative Agency to continue the restrictions on public meetings after 1 January 2022. At the same time, the group recommends limiting the number of participants in indoor public events to 10.

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 line with a regional operating model devised by Finland’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the group aims to strengthen the formation of a common situational assessment and to coordinate and prepare local and regional measures.

The City of Helsinki is responsible for organising the group’s operations.

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