Finland: Ministry of Social Affairs and Health updates the action plan to manage COVID-19

NordenBladet — The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has updated the action plan that guides social welfare and healthcare actors in their work to curb the COVID-19 epidemic. To effectively prevent the virus from spreading, the measures must be proactive and sufficiently broad in scope.

In future, too, the epidemiological situation will be divided into three general phases: baseline, acceleration phase and community transmission phase. These will continue to be used to assess the need for recommendations and restrictions and how these should be targeted.Measures included in the acceleration phase may be justified even for the baseline if the epidemiological situation nationally or in the neighbouring areas is getting worse. If the community transmission phase seems imminent, all necessary measures must be taken without delay. Matters to be taken into account in terms of implementing the measures include the national epidemiological situation and the effects this may have on the assessment of the situation and on the need for measures in each individual area.

Immediate and proactive response to epidemiological situation
The Communicable Diseases Act obliges the authorities to take action as required by the Act to reach the objective. The authorities must respond to a worsening epidemiological situation fast and proactively by taking effective and epidemiologically relevant measures. The spread of the epidemic can be curbed with regionally targeted, timely and sufficiently extensive measures and effective testing and tracing of infections. In line with the Government’s hybrid strategy, the aim is to prevent the spread of the virus in Finland, protect the capacity of the healthcare system and shield and protect people, especially those who are most at risk.

Action plan guides the authorities
The action plan guides the authorities responsible for the implementation of the Communicable Diseases Act in using the recommendations and restrictions in an appropriate manner with respect to the epidemiological situation. The previous action plan was adopted in September 2020, in accordance with the Government Resolution. The updated action plan covers the period from January to May 2021, and it can be revised during the spring if required due to the epidemiological situation.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi