The health authorities in the Kainuu region of eastern Finland have reported outbreaks of coronavirus infections among seasonal berry pickers working in the region.
A total of 74 workers, all of whom were reported to have come to Finland from abroad for the berry picking season, underwent “rapid tests” on Monday, and 44 tested positive for the virus.
Pandemic Manager of Kainuu Hospital District Tuomo Erola told Yleille that the group will be retested using a more established PCR test, which Erola says is the most reliable test for diagnosing the virus.
"The quick test has been reliable, I don’t think the margin of error is over 10%," he said.
All infected berry pickers have been placed in isolation or quarantined, Erola added, but they can continue to work if their condition allows and if exposure to outside groups is not possible.
So far, it has not been reported that anyone outside the working group has been exposed to the chain of infection.
The Kainuu Hospital District added that testing of the employees was done after the contract with the berry company and that similar tests have been performed at several workplaces during the pandemic.
Source: The Nordic Page