The day of the reopening of bars, restaurants and pubs is approaching. It will be next Monday from midnight. A day that businesses in the sector have been waiting for a long time, as the closure imposed by the government has destroyed the finances of many hospitality establishments.
In view of the lower incidence of new Covid-19 cases, the government headed by Prime Minister Sanna Marin (Social Democratic Party) has amended the decree restricting the activities of restaurants and other food and beverage service businesses.
Even so, many bar owners, mainly in the Helsinki-Uusimaa area, have stated that they do not plan to open due to the tough measures. Clients will be able to drink alcohol, but with extremely strict time limits. And 2021 will go down in Finnish history as the year the government expressly banned singing and dancing.
The amendment will enter into force on 19 February at 00.00 and it will allow establishments to reopen, although with different restrictions regarding alcohol sales, opening hours and capacity limits depending on the area where they are located.
The different rules for each region have been specified by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in a press release.
Helsinki-Uusimaa, southern regions
The toughest restrictions remain in the Helsinki (Uusimaa) region, in the southern half of the country and in some other areas that authorities list among those most affected by the coronavirus epidemic.
These areas are Uusimaa, Kanta-Häme, Southwest Finland, Satakunta, Pirkanmaa, Päijät-Häme, Kymenlaakso, South Karelia, South Savo, Central Finland and Ostrobothnia.
In these regions, bars, pubs and restaurants that primarily serve alcoholic beverages may sell alcohol between 7am and 5pm and be open between 5am and 6pm.
The amount of customer seating in these establishments will be restricted to one third of the normal number of seats.
For other restaurants, the amount of customer seating will be restricted to half. They may serve alcoholic beverages between 7am and 5pm and be open from 5am to 7pm.
The restaurants located in these regions must also instruct customers to stay seated in indoor premises.
"This means that dancing and karaoke, for example, are prohibited," the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health emphasized.
Rest of Finland
Other rules will apply to the regions of Åland, South Ostrobothnia, Kainuu, Central Ostrobothnia, Lapland, North Savo, North Karelia and North Ostrobothnia.
From 19 April, the amount of customer seating in restaurants that primarily serve alcoholic beverages will be restricted to half the normal number of seats. For other restaurants, 75% of customer seats may be in use. The restriction on the number of customer seats will not apply to Åland.
Restaurants may serve alcoholic beverages until 10pm and be open between 5am and 11pm.
Again, the Ministry remarks that customers must remain seated, so "dancing and karaoke, for example, are prohibited."
Review of restrictions
The regional restrictions will be reviewed and amended weekly to correspond to the prevailing epidemiological situation.
The first review will be conducted two weeks after they have entered into force, with a particular focus on the restrictions concerning terraces and patios, restaurants serving food and areas in the acceleration phase.
"It is imperative that the downward trend in new Covid-19 cases continues so that the restrictions can be eased," the government remarks.
