Finland relaxes masking mandates except in public transit, completes 83% target jabs

In COVID-related developments, Finland has relaxed masking mandates in public places. On Thursday, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) released a  statement that mentioned face masks will be discretionary except in public transit and congested areas, Xinhua News Agency reported. The announcement comes at the heels of Finnish authorities' order to lift nationwide remote work recommendations in mid-October.

In September, the government outlined in its update of the hybrid strategy that regional epidemic phases and related recommendations would be abandoned, THL said in a statement. “Our updated mask recommendation is based on the current state of the corona epidemic," THL's Chief Physician Otto Helve said "Vaccination coverage is rising all the time, and everyone can now consider for themselves the situations in which the mask should still be used," Helve asserted.

THL's updated mask recommendation in summary:

•Masks should be used at individuals' discretion. Those not fully vaccinated must use a mask in all public places.

•THL recommends wearing a mask in closed spaces with more than 50 people in a cluster.

•THL recommends using the mask on public transportation.

•The recommendations apply to all individuals over 12 years of age.

•THL allowed state/local authorities to issue mask recommendations suitable for their area based on the regional epidemic situation.

•The National Institute of Occupational Health is responsible for mask recommendations for workplaces.

Meanwhile, Finnland has decided to revoke the nationwide work-from-home policy from October 15. Notably, Finland has fared pretty well during the first and second waves of COVID-19. In a population of 55lakh, the overall tally has remained 1.41lakh and 1,072 Covid-related deaths. As of September 29, the country reported 802 cases with over 83% completed target vaccination.

Finland completes 83% target vaccination

According to THL, 83% of the target population for COVID-19 vaccination, i.e. people who are 12 years of age or over, have received at least one dose. Additionally, another 67% have received their second dose. Between 22 and 29 September, the uptake of the first vaccine dose grew by 0.4% points and the uptake of the second dose by 2.5 percentage points, THL noted. More than 86% of people aged over 60 have already received two vaccine doses. Among people aged between 50 and 59, the uptake is over 82% and, among people aged between 40 and 49, over 74%.

However, as per the bulletin, over the past few weeks, people under Medical care have remained unvaccinated. This has added to a temporary halt in the lowering graph of COVID-19 infections in the country. "Unvaccinated people between the ages of 20 to 79 who have COVID-19 have received hospital care at least 17 times more often than those in the same age group who have been vaccinated twice," THL said in a statement. However, the authorities have expected that the epidemiological situation will improve once the people under medical care start receiving their due doses.

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