Finland PM Sanna Marin goes clubbing till 4 AM after contact with COVID+ Finance Min

Sanna Marin, Finland's Prime Minister, was seen partying with her husband and friends till the early hours of the morning at a nightclub in the country's capital Helsinki. However, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto tested positive for COVID-19 on the same day, and according to the PM's most recent tweets, she was in contact with the foreign minister. Her tweet after being translated, read, "I have been informed on Saturday night about Minister Haavisto's corona infection and at the same time received an assessment that there is no need for special measures. In this context, I was not instructed to avoid contacts."

However, in subsequent tweets, she claimed that she would be undergoing COVID test as a measure of precaution. She stated, "The security director's instructions on government precautions did not reach me until Sunday when I immediately began to follow them and immediately booked the first corona test ."

She stated in her most recent tweet that she would avoid contacts until the results of the second test were known, but the same day she was sighted at a nightclub after dinner at the Grotesk restaurant in Helsinki, according to local newspaper Seiska. The tweet after being translated, read, "I have a negative test result today, and I will take another test tomorrow. Until the second test result, I avoid contacts." 

Sanna Marin confident in her country's response to COVID

According to various media reports, she is not concerned about the Omicron variant and is confident in her country's response to the pandemic and the COVID health pass. Marin's message was apparently intended to show the public that the COVID pass is reliable and that if people have the proper documentation, they can enjoy the nightlife, reportedly. Finland took additional steps last week after the government stated that vaccines for health and social care workers would be required.

In places where the virus is spreading, the government has also directed regional authorities to increase their test and track efforts and to recommend remote work. In order to prevent the Omicron variant from spreading further, Finland now requires all visitors to carry a COVID certificate proving they have been vaccinated. All individuals need to undergo a COVID test if the vaccine certificate is not available.

Finland has one of the lowest Covid-19 infection rates in Europe, with a weekly average of 1,288 cases per day, compared to a frightening 56,739 infections in Germany. There has also only been one case of the Omicron variant in the country. The country's high vaccination rate (72% of the population is double-vaccinated) and the use of a COVID health card to get admission to some restaurants and nightclubs have kept infection rates low.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP