March 12, 2020 at 3:50 PM
All public gatherings of more than 500 people will be canceled until the end of May, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said the government had decided on Thursday.
Marin said workplaces should encourage telecommuting and shift holiday travel. Marin says that citizens need to act with extreme caution with risk groups.
Minister for Social Affairs and Health Aino-Kaisa Pekonen estimates that Finland is entering the coronavirus (koronavirus, in Finnish) epidemic area.
Pekonen also says that Finland will continue it efforts to limit the spread of the epidemic. According to her, securing social services is now important and planning and using resources is the key.
On Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs chanced the travel guidance and said, “All travel should be avoided.”
