Coronavirus epidemic

• The extensive recommendation for working remotely has ended nationwide and was also dismantled in Southwest Finland as of 1 March 2022.
• Workplaces are encouraged to use workplace-specific hybrid models to maintain work communities' own capacity.

The recommendation for face masks was eased on 26.1.2023:

Patients, clients and visitors are not required to wear face masks when moving around the hospital premises. For persons at risk, persons with flu symptoms and patients who know that they have been exposed to coronavirus infection (in the last week), the use of face masks is recommended when visiting the hospital, e.g. in outpatient clinics or for examinations. People visiting hospital wards are advised to wear face masks during their visit.

A person with symptoms suggestive of a coronavirus infection  should not go to any social or health care facility, even if he or she has already received two or three doses of the coronavirus vaccine.

• Social work units
  • It is important to pay special attention to safe visiting practices, regardless of the vaccination status of the residents, staff and visitors.
• Wards in health centres
  • It is important to pay special attention to safe visiting practices, regardless of the vaccination status of patients, staff and visitors.
• See also visiting Tyks hospitals during the coronavirus epidemic.

In the academic year 2022–2023, early childhood education, preschool education, primary school, upper secondary schools, vocational education, higher education, liberal adult education and basic education in arts will be organized in accordance with the legislation under normal conditions. The temporary legal changes enacted for the academic years 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 due to the coronavirus situation are no longer valid.

More about public spaces in Turku, hobbies and the organization of teaching.

Adequate distance must be taken into account when using public and private customer and business premises. The municipalities can use the possibility of the Communicable Diseases Act to decide on the occupancy rate of public spaces in their area.

Indoors, close contact must be avoided. The instructions of the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare on the organization of public events should be followed.

No effective restrictions.

On AVI's website (in Finnish) you can find answers to frequently asked questions.

When organizing private events, attention should be paid to health-safe practices, such as good hand hygiene and adequate safety distances.

Children and young people (born 2003 and later)

Group hobbies for children and young people are allowed.

Group hobbies can be continued, taking into account in particular health-safe practices such as hand hygiene and adequate safety distances.

Adults

Adults group hobby activities are allowed.

Corona-safe practices in gyms and exercise facilities must be ensured in all sports activities. These measures include hand hygiene, safety distances and the avoidance of unnecessary stays in exercise facilities and changing rooms.

It is recommended to take into account the recommendations issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Institute for Health and Welfare's (THL).

In the Hospital District of Southwest Finland, we go by the Finnish institute for health and welfare's (THL) directions about the corona vaccine. According to the directions, the following persons are now being given the booster dose of the corona vaccine:

• persons aged 12 or over with a severely weakened immune defence
• persons aged 65 or over
• persons aged 18-64 in at-risk groups.

Risk groups for severe coronavirus disease.

See the recommendations on corona vaccination order and at-risk groups for corona on Finnish institution for health and welfare's (THL) web page.