Low-risk premises resumption proposed in Helsinki area from Feb

The Helsinki Metropolitan Area coronavirus coordination group recommends to the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland that it removes the closures of low-risk premises as of 1 February, said the City of Helsinki in a press release on Tuesday.

The group made the recommendation based on an up-to-date picture of the epidemic situation.

The lifting of premises restrictions would therefore apply, among others, to gyms and other similar indoor sports facilities, as well as swimming pools, public saunas and spas, facilities used for amateur theatres or other similar group activities, indoor playgrounds and indoor playparks, public lounges in shopping malls as well as amusement and theme parks, fairgrounds and indoor zoo facilities.

The group further recommends that indoor premises used for team sports, group sports, contact sports and other similar sports or exercise, as well as dance venues and choir singing facilities remain closed in accordance with the previous decision.

The Helsinki Metropolitan Area coronavirus coordination group will closely monitor the development of the epidemic situation, and if the situation and the hospital load continues to decline, other restrictive measures will be phased out.

The controlled and gradual lifting of restrictions is important from the point of view of the overall management of the epidemic, the group observed.

The group has recommended to the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland that it extends the current restriction decision on public events after 31 January , so that indoor seating for up to 50 people would be allowed from 1-15 February.

In addition, the group recommended to extend the current regulation on customer premises restrictions for two weeks after 31 January 2022 from 1-15 February 2022.

The group observed that the load placed by the coronavirus pandemic on social and health care services in the Helsinki metropolitan area has remained high and non-urgent activities have had to be largely reduced.

At the moment, however, it seems that the increase in the load has stopped and has begun to decrease in the metropolitan area. The persistence of high levels of infections or an increase in infections significantly overloads social and health care services. Existing severe restrictions have prevented long-term contact between adults and are, therefore, likely to slow down the spread of the coronavirus and safeguard the carrying capacity of social and health care.

The assessment has utilized the risk assessment of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare regarding events and gatherings.

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.