Restaurants, bars, pubs, nightclubs, cafes and other food and beverage service businesses must be closed to customers from Tuesday 9 March 2021, the Finnish Government said.
The act and the decree concerning the matter entered into force at midnight between Monday 8 March and Tuesday 9 March. Restaurants will be closed to customers until 28 March 2021 in areas where authorities consider it "necessary to stop the acceleration of the epidemic."
These include the areas where the coronavirus epidemic is in acceleration or community transmission phase and Central Finland. However, restaurants can still sell food for takeaway or delivery.
On Monday the Parliament approved and the President of the Republic confirmed an act, which will temporarily close restaurants and other food and beverage service businesses to customers. Government issued a decree on the areas to be affected by the closure on the same day.
According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the decision was "based on the views of the experts at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) on the epidemic situation in the areas."
Restaurants must be closed to customers in the following regions:
- Uusimaa
- Southwest Finland
- Satakunta
- Kanta-Häme
- Pirkanmaa
- Päijät-Häme
- Kymenlaakso
- South Karelia
- South Savo
- Central Finland
- South Ostrobothnia
- Ostrobothnia
- Northern Ostrobothnia
- Lapland
- Åland
The following areas are excluded from the closure: North Karelia, Central Ostrobothnia, Kainuu and North Savo.
The Government will amend the Decree if the closure is not necessary in a certain area, that is, if an area no longer is in acceleration or community transmission phase. The Government will also amend the Decree, if the epidemic accelerates in one of the areas now at a stable level.
Exception of staff restaurants
The food and beverage service businesses to be closed down include cafes, restaurants, bars and nightclubs that are open to the public. The restriction also affects outdoor terraces.
Only restaurants that are not open to the public are exempt from the closures. It therefore does not affect canteens in residential homes for older people or staff restaurants that are not open to other customers, for example.
During the closure, restaurants and cafes will still be allowed to sell portions directly to the customer for takeaway or deliver them either themselves or using other service providers.
As a matter of urgency, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is preparing a support model for the compensation of businesses affected by the closure. This aid will be implemented as part of the business cost support.
