The hospital districts of Pirkanmaa and Central Finland, as well as the City of Helsinki, have announced that they will abandon official quarantine for coronavirus-positive persons. The HUS areas where the new protocol will be introduced in stages are Espoo, Hyvinkää, Järvenpää, Kauniainen, Kerava, Mäntsälä, Nurmijärvi, Pornainen, Porvoo, Sipoo, Tuusula and Vantaa.
The same practice is applied in Northern Ostrobothnia, Northern Savonia, Southwest Finland and Turku.
In the future, all those infected with the virus in these areas will have to isolate themselves and report their exposure to people with whom they have been in close contact. Official isolation decisions by the authorities are only used in situations where an administrative decision can genuinely prevent the spread of new infections.
The change is due to the rapid rise in infections, which has made infectious disease authorities ineffective in controlling the spread of the virus. According to reports, most of the additional infections have already occurred before the positive test result has come to the attention of the authorities.
"Because the Omicron variant is significantly contagious before the onset of symptoms and there are delays in testing, most of the follow-on infections have already occurred when the test result becomes known to the infectious disease authority. There is no epidemiological basis for isolating humans," The Pirkanmaa Hospital District said in a press release on Friday.
According to the city of Helsinki "The Omicron variant has become the main strain of the coronavirus and has caused a rapid increase in daily infections since early December. As a result, coronavirus testing, contact tracing, and primary care are very busy. It can take several days to get tested by your health care provider."
Normal sick leave practices
Notices of change emphasize the importance of those suffering from respiratory symptoms staying away from work without worrying about loss of earnings.
Both the Pirkanmaa Hospital District and the City of Helsinki point out that employers do not have the right to demand an official quarantine order from an employee who decides to isolate themselves.
As an alternative, it is proposed in these hospital districts, for example, that employees be given the right to a longer period of absence from their own notice period, and that employers follow normal sick leave practices.
Hospital districts urge everyone with a respiratory infection to stay home. If your general health is good, you will be advised not to contact your healthcare provider or book a coronavirus test.
In a statement issued on Friday, the City of Helsinki emphasized the personal responsibility of residents in slowing down the epidemic, saying that even mild symptoms of infection are a reason to stay at home and report close contacts quickly.
Source: The Nordic Page