Every country on the map of the world has suffered to some extent from Coronavirus. However, now many countries are entering into the next stage of the pandemic in which they are easing lockdowns according to their local demographics based on fewer cases reported, hospital admissions and deaths.
As Boris Johnson, PM of Great Britain, said when he was released from hospital after recovering from Covid-19, summarizing the overall situation in a few lines: “We are now beginning to turn the tide. If this virus were a physical assailant, an unexpected and invisible mugger, which I can tell you from personal experience it is, then this is the moment we have begun together to wrestle it to the floor.”
Finland is trying its best to contain Covid-19 but is in the group of countries that need to take action, creating many questions for the future of the epidemic in its territory
Many countries can turn the tide; some are nearly there while some are still struggling to find a balance. The official database portal endcoronavirus.org, the organisation lead by Professor Yaneer Bar-Yam, president of New England Complex Systems Institute (NECSI) and MIT-trained physicist and complexity scientist, has presented the fight status of different countries.
Endcoronavirus.org divided countries into three different groups in terms of tackling Covid-19. These groups are winning, nearly winning and need action groups. At the time of writing this article, the last updated data showed that there are 32 countries in the winning group (Figure 1 in green) referred to as the Beating Covid-19 Group, countries which are able to wrestle the invisible mugger to the floor.
There are 31 countries in the second group (Figure 2 in orange) named the Nearly There Group, which are close to flattening the curve in the coming weeks.
Countries beating Covid-19
Countries that are nearly there
The third group (red) has 36 countries and is referred to as the Need to Take Action Group.
This group includes countries from different continents; some are immediate neighbours while others are thousands of kilometres apart. Finland is right in the middle of this group in Figure 3 and on the 12th of May 2020, Finland’s total reported cases was 5961, 271 deaths and 4000 recovered.
Countries that need to take action
The Finnish Government decided to ease its lockdown to a certain extent in reopening schools under strict restrictions for two weeks before the actual summer holidays will start on 1st June.
The Government has also launched a strategy to gradually lift restrictions in the coming weeks and months.
There is a huge divide in opinion regarding the reopening of schools.
There is a huge divide in opinion regarding the reopening of schools and a petition circulates on the internet claiming they must not reopen this term
According to a Helsingin Sanomat report, very few school absence applications have been applied for the coming two weeks. However, an anti-school opening petition is also circulating on the internet and has collected 11,152 signatures via adressit.com, claiming that schools must not be opened before the summer.
Finland, like other countries, is trying its best to contain Covid-19 but is in the group of countries that need to take action, creating many questions for the future of the epidemic in its territory.
Time will decide who will be the real winners in the coming months. Nevertheless, being responsible citizens, we all should have to follow the advice of health authorities which mainly includes social distancing, avoiding unnecessary travel and washing hands.
What do you think is a suitable strategy? Do you agree with the Finnish Government’s approach? Tell us in the comments section, please.