Finland’s largest daily circulation, Helsingin sanomat newspaper, reports seeing an internal government memorandum that the recovery of the coronavirus epidemic has brought the country close to the conditions for an emergency. However, the newspaper reports that the government does not currently see sufficient reason to activate the emergency powers, as it did from mid-March to mid-June this year.
The memorandum was discussed at a board meeting on Wednesday night. prime minister Sanna Marin (SDP) and the Minister of Family and Social Affairs Krista Kiuru (SDP) is scheduled to hold a press conference on Thursday morning on the content of these discussions.
According to Helsingin Sanomat, the memorandum states that although it is not possible to reliably estimate short-term infections and deaths caused by the coronavirus, the epidemic is again "great disaster" it can trigger an emergency.
Nevertheless, the government still believes that the situation can be managed by the authorities with existing regular powers without declaring a new state of emergency.
Disinformation campaign
Helsinki tabloid Ilta-Sanomat writes that Finnish social media has suffered from a disinformation campaign related to the coronavirus epidemic.
The campaign raises doubts about the official recommendations of the National Institute for Health and Welfare THL.
These social media publications oppose the benefits of face masks in reducing the spread of the virus, but dictate, for example, drinking vegetable juices and herbal teas.
The disinformation campaign also urges the public to ignore their words "intimidation of the media and decision-makers"and get out to socialize and hug friends.
Juha KorpelainenThe chief physician of the Northern Ostrobothnia Hospital District simply described this disinformation "dangerous".
"I am amazed at the spread of such a thing. It’s a bit like shooting your own troops in a war. There will be more illness, deaths, unemployment and financial misery if this one receives a large enough group," Asko Järvinen, Ilta-Sanoma told the head of infectious diseases from the Helsinki and Uusimaa health areas.
These experts did not oppose some of the advice disseminated on social media, such as the benefits of healthy eating and exercise, but also pointed out that they cannot prevent the virus from spreading.
"The virus spreads in a way. And this is not the time to get out and meet friends – let alone hug them," Korpelainen stressed.
The capital tourism industry is suffering
The local Helsinki daily Helsingin Uutiset states that serious problems The damage caused to the Lapland tourism sector by the epidemic has received a lot of attention, although the tourism sector in the Helsinki metropolitan area has also suffered severely.
There has been some relief from the rise of domestic tourism in Lapland, but the Helsinki region has "is no longer considered such an attractive travel destination", writes Helsingin Uutiset.
By the end of September, accommodation operators nationwide had lost an estimated € 450 million in revenue. Helsinki’s share of this is almost 40 percent, about 175 million euros. Calculated as losses on other travel-related services, the total amounts to more than 250 million.
With so little money spent on international travel, domestic tourism was expected to rise.
"The paradox of the crisis is that there is demand, but it does not produce consumption," points out Pekka Mustonen, City of Helsinki researcher.
According to Mustonen, all Nordic capitals have the same problem. Domestic demand is not enough to offset losses.
Rain, snow or what?
Looking at the weather for the next few days, Evening paper writes that it is still a mystery whether the inhabitants of Southern Finland should get out of snow shovels or water wings.
There have been 10-20 cm of snowfall in the northern parts of the country, which has brought dangerous driving conditions to some areas, while the southern areas have at the same time had unreasonably high temperatures.
On Thursday, however, colder air will move to the southern part of the country and over the weekend, mostly cloudy skies and rainfall in the form of rain or snow near the freezing point of the southern coastal areas are forecast. In northern Finland, weekend temperatures are expected to vary between -2 and -10 degrees Celsius.