The increase in COVID-19 cases across Europe has forced countries to begin tightening their respective restrictions. In some parts of the continent, the regulations that are in force are slowly beginning to take the shape of the lockdown of early spring. Yet the situation is not as dire yet and countries are slowly tightening the screws in order to prevent the imposition of new full nation-wide lockdowns.
Masks and municipalities – the key to overcoming the challenges in Finland
With cases on the rise, the immediate reaction of Finnish officials was to begin tightening mask-wearing requirement across the country. Since earlier this week, all airport visitors have been required to wear masks at all times in order to ensure the safety not only of passengers but also of staff and passersby.
Mask wearing is also hitting the highest echelons of power as the country’s parliament has made it mandatory for MPs to wear protective equipment during plenary sessions and while in committee meetings. The requirement also covers journalists working the parliamentary building, while visits to the institution have been suspended for the next two months. The parliamentary visitor’s centre has also been shut down until March.
Meanwhile, in retail and in shops, the country’s unions have issued a recommendation to their members in high-risk areas to wear masks in order to protect themselves and their customers. Even in non-at-risk regions, it is still desirable to wear masks while interacting with clients and while no plexiglass is present.
And while masks are effective to some extent, real hard-hitting measures must be carefully evaluated. To that end, the Finnish government has proposed amendments that would give the country’s municipalities enhanced powers to deal with crises and to with infectious diseases without having to wait for authorization from the central authorities.
This change would allow the country to have a truly tailored approach to the pandemic, that would take into account specific conditions across its territory and would ultimately eliminate the need for a nationwide lockdown.
Source: TheMayor.EU
