The Helsinki University Hospital District (HUS) intends to launch a new Covid travel application, which is aimed especially at tourists living on the Russian border.
Finentry allows users to book Covid tests and get results. Finentry also includes a Russian-language option and will be launched in the Kymenlaakso and South Karelia regions between January and February next year.
The Finnish-Russian border has been officially closed since March, but about 1,000-1500 people still cross the border every day. These persons include truck drivers, dual nationals and residence permit holders.
"In early November, we saw weeks when almost half of the new infections were related to cross-border visits to Russia," said Marja-Liisa Mäntymaa, chief physician in the Kymenlaakso area.
There are currently no test points at the border.
"The number of exceedances must be significantly higher in order to justify the transfer of testing resources to the border from existing locations," said Jarno Rämä, who works with risk management in the Kymenlaakso area.
Shorter quarantine
Finentry ranks users in one of three risk groups based on how they answer app questions. Users considered to be most at risk will be directed immediately to the nearest testing center and will be prompted to retest 72 hours later. This may reduce the number of quarantines from ten days to three if the results are negative.
However, the use of Finentry is voluntary. Making it mandatory would require a change in legislation. Authorities often encourage those crossing the Russian border to experiment regularly.
Source: The Nordic Page
