Just three months ago, Finland it had the lowest average of infections and deaths per capita in Europe and managed to contain local outbreaks, while respecting some of the most relaxed restrictions on the continent.
But now it is facing new growth – and the government has changed its approach.
On Monday, the Finnish government declared a state of emergency due to a sharp increase in cases, which it partially attributed to the spread of new variants.
The country will enter a three-week blockade on March 8, according to Prime Minister Sanna Marin.
In a statement, the government said:
“The number and incidence of Covid-19 cases in Finland have increased very rapidly since the beginning of February 2021. The number of infections caused by new variants of the virus has clearly increased, which can further accelerate the epidemic and cause pressure significant impact on the hospital and intensive care capacity if we can not reduce the number of infections. ”
The strictest restrictions have already been introduced in seven hospital districts on Thursday, including the capital, Helsinki.
Across the border in Norway, officials are tightening restrictions due to a wave of cases in the capital that Oslo City Council has called “a consequence of the import of mutated coronavirus variants”.
The new viruses have spread faster than previous ones, “Oslo City Councilor Raymond Johansen said in a statement on Sunday.
“This means that we now need to tighten infection control measures in line with the recommendations of national health authorities.
From Tuesday to March 15, the new measures in Oslo include: closing all restaurants except dining services; and closing all stores except pharmacies and grocery / alcohol stores.
From Monday, Oslo students attending upper secondary schools will stay at home, and on Wednesday all schools will be run with a combination of traditional and virtual learning.
The council added that it introduces mass testing of students with saliva samples starting March 8 and increased testing of all teachers.