Finland begins gradual reopening later this week

Schools will begin taking in students on 14 May and restaurants will follow a couple of weeks later

Finland is following suit with the reopening of its society following the severe lockdown measures that were imposed as a response to the coronavirus pandemic. Much like other European countries, eager to stop the spread of the disease Finnish authorities brought society to a halt but is now set to begin its slow transition back towards normalcy.

Schools are up first

Schools in Finland began closing down more than a month ago but will now start their gradual reopening. On 14 May primary and lower secondary schools across the country will reopen with the rest to follow at a later date.

Children attending school will have to adhere to brand new safety guidelines devised by the Finnish Ministry of Education that are meant to safeguard them and protect their and their parents’ health.

Provisions are also being set up for children belonging to at-risk groups and one suffering from different conditions that make the coronavirus far more dangerous than normal. Distance learning might be a possible alternative for such children, even though the practice is meant to be suspended in its entirety unless specifically mandated otherwise.

Restaurants to follow in June

Just a couple of weeks after schools resume their work, restaurants, cafes and bars will also be allowed to reopen on 1 June. Currently, representatives of the sector are greeting this news with bated breath as there are far too many questions that remain unanswered by authorities in terms of specific conditions that must be met in order to allow a complete reopening.

Finnish authorities are perhaps deliberately leaving their instructions open to interpretation in order to allow venues and business-owners the maximum flexibility possible, as they will play a key role in rebooting the country’s economy now that the imminent threat to citizen health is behind us.