After talks with government partners on Wednesday, the prime minister Sanna Marin (SDP) said it expects that Finland’s interest rate restrictions will be lifted further on 14 February.
Speaking about leaving the negotiations, Marin confirmed that the changes mean that bars and pubs will have the same opening hours as restaurants. Starting in mid-February, all outlets will be open until midnight, the last call for alcohol sales an hour earlier.
The prime minister also said all restrictions on the epidemic of bars and restaurants would be lifted in early March.
In accordance with the recommendations of the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and the Ministry of Justice, Finland will no longer use the Covid passport, at least for the time being. Event organizers and certain institutions were allowed to disregard Covid restrictions if they required customers to present their Covid passports.
Although passports could be re-introduced in the future due to changing circumstances, such as new versions, it would require some changes in the law.
"We believe that we do not currently have the legal conditions to introduce a Covid Passport. THL considers that there is no longer an epidemiological basis for this; that is, we cannot use the passport to bypass restrictions at this stage. That would mean restricting the fundamental rights of citizens. We cannot do it unless it is absolutely necessary," Marin stated.
The government also recommends that the regional government agencies (avi) remove the current restrictions on public gatherings, such as sporting and cultural events, from 14 February.
Marin said his main message this afternoon was urging people to take the Covid-9 vaccine. The Ministry’s coronavir virus working group is continuing to investigate the details of the lifting of restrictions.
Source: The Nordic Page