Former President Ahtisaari has been diagnosed with coronavirus

The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland announced on Tuesday that former President Martti Ahtisaari has been diagnosed with coronavirus (koronavirus, in Finnish).

The infection was confirmed on Monday and Ahtisaari is doing well right now.

Ahtisaari has been a major influence in international peace mediation projects. In 2008, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the Kosovo and Aceh peace agreements. Ahtisaari is the only Finn awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize.

Last week Martti Ahtisaari’s wife, Eeva Ahtisaari, also tested positive for coronavirus. But at that time Martti Ahtisaari was found in good condition and had not been diagnosed with coronavirus symptoms.

Infected in a concert

President Halonen and Eeva Ahtisaari were present at the Women's Day celebration concert at the Helsinki Music Center (Musiikkitalo). On Friday the city of Helsinki said that seven people attending the concert had been infected.

Concert performers, audiences and staff may also have been exposed to the coronavirus.

Last Friday (20 March), Juha Paaso, Sales and Marketing Manager of the Music Center, did not want to give accurate information on the size of the audience.

Paaso told, "There are 1,700 seats in the hall, and I can say that it was not full, but not empty.”

By Monday afternoon, 700 coronavirus infections had been reported in Finland. However, the number of infections detected no longer reflects the actual situation, since not all those who may have the disease are tested.