Finland was for a long time one of the countries that coped best with the corona pandemic, but during the summer the spread of the delta variant increased.
Football supporters who traveled to Russia and then tested positive for the coronavirus after returning home are believed to be behind the new wave in the country.
Despite the fact that the border between Finland and Russia is closed, fans were allowed to travel to the European Football Championship earlier this summer.
About 3,500 people from Finland traveled to St. Petersburg, and more than 10 percent of them were found to be infected with the delta variant of the coronavirus when they returned home.
Failed testing
According to SVT's Finland correspondent Hasse Svens, the Finnish authorities failed to test the passengers when they returned home, which meant that the delta variant began to spread.
- There have been upset feelings.
A CEO of a bus company that arranged bus trips to St. Petersburg has even been threatened with murder, says Hasse Svens.
66 percent of the population in Finland have received a first dose of covid-19 vaccine and 35 percent have received the second dose.
Although efforts are now being made to increase the pace of vaccination, there are fears that the virus wave will increase in strength within a couple of weeks.
However, the number of corona infections treated in hospitals is still very low.
New restrictions can be introduced
The Finnish government will this week to decide on new possible restrictions to try to push back the infection.
- Above all, the restaurants are believed to have new restrictions again.
Right now you can be open until midnight but you think there will be changes, says Hasse Svens.