The incidence of the coronavirus is declining in Finland and the government is beginning to loosen some restrictions.
Restaurants, pubs, bars, nightclubs and other food and beverage businesses can reopen to customers throughout Finland on Monday 19 April, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment announced in a press release.
However, all these establishments must still observe temporary restrictions on opening hours, alcohol sales, number of customers, use of premises and movement of customers in the premises to curb the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic.
The mandatory closure will end a three days earlier -on Friday 16 April- in the North Savo region "because the epidemic situation there has improved," the Ministry says.
Provisions on the closure of restaurants and other food and beverage service businesses are laid down in the Act on Accommodation and Catering Operations. Under the Act, the Government must amend the decree on the regions that the closure applies to if closure in a given region is no longer necessary.
The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare issued its latest assessment of the epidemic situation in the regions on Wednesday 14 April. Based on the assessment, the closure is no longer necessary in North Savo.
Situation in the regions
Restaurants must remain closed to customers in the following regions until Sunday 18 April:
- Uusimaa
- Southwest Finland
- Satakunta
- Kanta-Häme
- Pirkanmaa
- Päijät-Häme
- Kymenlaakso
- South Karelia
- South Savo
- North Karelia
- Central Finland
- Ostrobothnia.
The following regions do not fall under the closure requirement: Åland, South Ostrobothnia, Kainuu, Central Ostrobothnia, Lapland, North Ostrobothnia and North Savo.
