- Our authorities and experts' assessment has been that there has been a need to be able to prevent and control this spread of infection, and therefore we have considered ourselves obliged to introduce these restrictions.

Personally, I have thought that it has been very difficult and very boring but still necessary, says Finland's Nordic Minister Thomas Blomqvist (SVP) to SVT Agenda.

You refer to health and infection control reasons at the same time as the European Communicable Diseases Control Authority (ECDC) has stated that closing the borders has no effect on the spread of infection, if in principle you do not have zero infection in your country.

Why then have you made these decisions?

- We have heard the European infection control assessment but still come to the conclusion that there was a need to introduce these restrictions to ensure the lives and health of our residents.

Sweden's Nordic Minister believes that Nordic co - operation has been damaged by the closed borders.

How do you look at it?

- It is clear that the co-operation we are used to in the Nordic countries, especially between organizations, individuals and companies, has of course been at a fairly low level during the pandemic.

I understand Minister Anna Hallberg's concern and I share it, but would still say that politically, Nordic co-operation is at a good level.

I think that this crisis has shown that we should improve certain things, the exchange of information can be better.

But on the whole, the political vision of making the Nordic region the world's most integrated area remains unchanged.

But how worried are you that many will not want to invest in entrepreneurship and cooperation that requires open borders, after they have been through?

- We will do everything to ensure that trade, exchange and travel between our countries can return to normal as quickly as possible.

The threshold for taking such measures is very, very high.

More about this in Sunday's Agenda 21:15 SVT 2.