Based on the decision of the situation assessment workgroup, South Karelia has shifted to the spreading phase on 25 February 2021. We will provide more information about the new recommendations and the situation on 2 March 2021. Different language versions will be published later next week. The below bulletin was published on 23 February 2021.
The regional COVID-19 situation assessment workgroup of South Karelia stated at its meeting on 23 February 2021 that the epidemic is still in the acceleration phase in South Karelia. The three stages of an epidemic are the baseline, acceleration, and spreading phases.
The restriction issued by the Regional State Administrative Agency (AVI) on 27 January 2021, based on which gatherings must be limited to 20 people and which is applied to all indoor and outdoor events, will remain in force until the end of February. Later this week, AVI will extend this restriction to March. The regional situation assessment workgroup previously issued a restriction that limits private gatherings to 10 people. It is advisable to avoid even small gatherings, whenever possible.
The situation assessment workgroup hopes that the residents will follow the instructions provided on the prevention of the coronavirus epidemic carefully in South Karelia.
The situation assessment workgroup discussed whether South Karelia is in the acceleration or the spreading phase.
– The situation has changed rapidly in the Eksote area. The occurrence rate is increasing steeply, as is the share of positive test results of all COVID-19 tests taken. In addition, the virus variant accounts for 75% of all positive test results. However, the virus is spreading within a restricted community and the tracing of the source of the infection has been efficient and very successful, says senior physician Sami Raasakka from Eksote’s outpatient care.
The situation assessment workgroup decided, supported by AVI and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, that the region will remain in the acceleration phase. The situation assessment workgroup will monitor the development of the situation closely and will meet before the next meeting scheduled for 2 March 2021, where required.
The situation workgroup has a special request for companies and employers that operate in the area. It is the employer’s responsibility to identify work-related hazards and risks both at the workplace and during remote working. The significance of hazards and risks for the health and safety of the employees must be assessed and the necessary measures taken to prevent them.
The employer must assess the need for the employees to be present at the workplace from the perspective of their health. If the employer permits or obliges the employees to be present at the workplace, instructions must be provided to them on performing their work in a manner that eliminates the risk of infection.
– The remote working recommendation has now been valid in the Eksote area for almost a year. Remote working reduces the risk of the employees becoming infected by the virus, and makes the work community less vulnerable should one of its members become ill. If remote working is not an option due to the nature of the work, masks must be used at the workplace and other measures considered to protect the employees and the work community against COVID-19, reminds the chair of the situation assessment workgroup Tuula Karhula.
Further information: https://stm.fi/etatyot-koronavirustilanteessa
The Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, and THL have prepared guidelines for the organisation, restriction, and suspension of group activities for children under 18 years of age at the different tiers of the epidemic specified in a Government Resolution. The Ministry of Education and Culture and THL recommend that the guidelines be followed in indoor group activities starting at Tier one and also in outdoor group activities when shifting to Tier 2.
– Leisure activities of children under 12 years of age are not restricted at any tier, but the principles of safe activities must be followed especially carefully from Tier 2 onwards. Matches and playing or match trips outside the own region are not recommended for any age group, says senior medical officer Eeva Reissell from THL.
In the Eksote area, it is recommended that no matches and playing be organised within the region in order to prevent the spread of the virus variants, says Karhula.
For more information about the impact of the tiers on the leisure activities of children, please visit: https://minedu.fi/-/ohjeistus-lasten-ja-nuorten-ryhmaharrastustoiminnasta?languageId=en_US
The guidelines apply, in particular, to areas that are in the spreading phase, but in South Karelia the recommendation is followed already in the acceleration phase. The recommendation provided by the situation assessment workgroup for matches and playing will remain in force until 31 March 2021.
Next week (week 9) is the school ski holiday in South Karelia. THL has provided advice on how to stay safe during the ski holiday and it is recommended that holidaymakers favour ski tracks, forests, and sledding hills during the week. The risk of being infected by the COVID-19 virus when enjoying the great outdoors is low.
THL recommends that holidaymakers spend time outdoors with those closest to them and avoid crowds. At the present time, COVID-19 is found in all parts of Finland and travelling increases the risk of spreading the virus even wider.
If you have symptoms before the holiday, do not take part in any holiday activities. Instead, have yourself tested immediately. It is also vital to be tested immediately, if you develop symptoms during the holiday. To book a test in the Eksote area, fill in a symptom assessment of the symptoms of yourself or your child in the Omaolo service at https://www.omaolo.fi or call the nearest wellbeing or healthcare centre (on weekdays) or during stand-by hours, call 116 117. The contact details of the wellbeing and healthcare centres can be found on Eksote’s website.
– During this ski holiday, it is important to only spend time with those closest to you, to avoid all kinds of crowds, to maintain a safe distance of over two metres from people who are not part of your own group, also when exercising outdoors, to maintain good hand hygiene, and to use a mask in all public premises. At ski centres, parties and local bars must be skipped completely and peak hours avoided when dining at a restaurant or visiting a café, says Karhula.
– Even though minor flu symptoms can seem like a trivial reason to cancel a holiday and to book a test, it is the only right thing to do in the present situation. By acting responsibly, we do not spread the virus ourselves, says Karhula.
After the ski holidays, the remote teaching recommendation of second level education will continue in South Karelia. The organiser of the education will determine what it deems to be necessary contact teaching, and how it will continue.
For more information about ski holidays, please see THL’s bulletin: https://thl.fi/fi/-/nauti-talvilomasta-ulkoillen-hiihtoladut-maet-ja-metsat-ovat-nyt-turvallisimpia-paikkoja-lomailuun
Eksote: https://www.eksote.fi/Koronavirus/
City of Lappeenranta: https://www.lappeenranta.fi/fi/Kaupunki-tiedottaa/Koronavirustilanne
City of Imatra: https://www.imatra.fi/korona
Lemi: https://www.lemi.fi/ajankohtaista/koronatiedotteet.html
Luumäki: https://www.luumaki.fi/koronavirustilanne-tietoa-ohjeita-linkkeja
Parikkala: http://www.parikkala.fi/fi
Ruokolahti: https://www.ruokolahti.fi/suomeksi/Kuntatietoa/korona
Rautjärvi: http://www.rautjarvi.fi/fi
Savitaipale: https://www.savitaipale.fi/
Taipalsaari: https://taipalsaari.fi/fi/Koronavirustilanne
Private events:
Private events must have a maximum of 10 participants.
Education organisers:
It is recommended that secondary education shifts to remote learning starting on 7 December 2020, except for any contact teaching that is considered to be necessary by the organiser of the education. It is recommended that remote teaching be continued at least until 31 March 2021.
Early education and basic education will be continued as before.
The mask recommendation applies to all persons aged 12 or over, and to all school transportation.
A mask recommendation will be given to education organisers, also in school transportation. The education organiser must provide masks for children and young adults whose school transportation is their responsibility. Children and young adults who come to school by using public transport must acquire the masks themselves.
Public premises:
Events of the libraries will be cancelled and it is recommended that social premises, such as newspaper reading rooms, be closed. Book lending and returning activities will continue. The customers are requested to stay in the library premises only for the period of time that is necessary and to favour advance reservations. Wearing a mask in the library premises is strongly recommended.
The number of customers in museums and youth premises is limited to 20. It is recommended that youth activities be partly moved online, but youth premises can be kept open at the discretion of each municipality, when the prohibition of gatherings of over 20 persons is observed.
Group activities:
It is recommended that indoor group activities for people over 20 years of age be interrupted in team and contact sports.
Indoor and outdoor group activities for children and young people can be continued subject to careful consideration, when the prohibition of gatherings of over 20 persons is observed. Risks typical of the type of sports must be observed in group activities. If leisure time activities are not disrupted, the instructions of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, based on which it must be possible to avoid close contact between the participants and the persons bringing the children to the location, must be observed.
It is recommended that no matches and camps aimed at children and young people be implemented within the region or between hospital districts. This recommendation will remain valid until 31 March 2021, unless specified otherwise at a national level.
The sports academy that operates in Imatra and Lappeenranta can continue its operations, if it is possible to comply with all valid safety instructions. It is recommended that different age groups are not mixed, unless they are normally in contact with each other in leisure time activities.
To secure the training of professional and competitive athletes, training can be continued if it is safe and it is possible to comply with the gathering restrictions and the instructions provided on gatherings. A maximum of 20 persons, including the athletes and the coaches, can be present at any one time.
Matches and playing at the Finnish Championship and the first division levels (adults):
If matches/games are played without an audience, they are not public events. This means that such matches are not forbidden based on the regulation of the Regional State Administrative Agency.
If there is an audience, the regulation of the Regional State Administrative Agency and the need to limit gatherings to 20 people will apply. When the audience is separated from the players and the maintenance personnel (e.g., in a separate auditorium), the 20-person restriction is applied separately to the audience and the players, the latter of which includes referees and maintenance personnel.
Matches and playing is permitted for Finnish Championship, first division, and U20 level teams of adults, if a South Karelian team is participating in the games and matches/tournaments.
Travelling:
Travelling between Finland and Russia must be avoided.
It is recommended that all travelling to areas that are in the spreading phase be avoided. In particular, travelling should be avoided to areas where the coronavirus situation is worse than in South Karelia. Travelling to ski centres in the North of Finland and abroad should also be avoided. Similarly, e.g. tournament trips between regions are not recommended.
Remote working:
It is recommended that all employers in South Karelia organise remote working in all work tasks that can be completed remotely, even temporarily. If remote working is not an option, it is recommended that the employer advices the employees to use a face mask in all work premises, even when safe distances can be maintained. Meals and coffee breaks must be staggered. Work and business trips and contact teaching events are not recommended.
Mask recommendation:
The mask recommendation is valid in public transport, including school transport and taxi drivers and customers.
In other respects, the mask recommendation of the acceleration phase is applied to all persons aged 12 and over, in accordance with THL’s instructions:
Customer service points must be equipped with plexiglass shields. Employers must provide masks or protective face shields for customer service workers who work less than 2 metres from other people.
Events:
The organisation of events is not recommended. During the acceleration phase, events of the maximum of 20 people can be organised if it is possible to comply with the instructions provided by THL and the Ministry of Education and Culture on safe distances and hygiene practices precisely and in all respects.
Further information for event organisers on the Regional State Administrative Agency’s website: https://avi.fi/usein-kysyttya-koronaviruksesta
Instructions for preventing the spread of COVID-19 in connection to public meetings and assembly, and in public premises: https://minedu.fi/documents/1410845/22330894/Ohje+yleis%C3%B6tilaisuuksiin+yleisiin+kokoontumisiin+ja+julkisten+tilojen+k%C3%A4ytt%C3%B6%C3%B6n+21.9.2020.pdf/bef30f76-8187-9d78-1444-bb0686c8eeb6/Ohje+yleis%C3%B6tilaisuuksiin+yleisiin+kokoontumisiin+ja+julkisten+tilojen+k%C3%A4ytt%C3%B6%C3%B6n+21.9.2020.pdf?version=1.4&t=1604562383408
The situation in the rest of Finland and the valid restrictions and recommendations of other hospital districts can be found on the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare website under Regional situation. The page can also be accessed through the link found on the Eksote website at www.eksote.fi/koronavirus
The current stage of the epidemic in South Karelia is specified by the infectious disease authorities, together with the regional COVID-19 situation assessment workgroup. The South Karelian COVID-19 situation assessment workgroup includes representatives of the South Karelia Social and Health Care District, the municipalities, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the Regional State Administrative Agency, and the local ELY Centre. In addition to the number of and the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, the stage of the epidemic depends e.g. on the traceability of infection chains and whether the virus was acquired within or from outside the region. The epidemic situation can change rapidly locally or regionally, even when the national situation is stable. The local COVID-19 situation assessment workgroup meets once a week, unless more frequent meetings are required.
Additional information for the media:
Tuula Karhula, Chair of the situation assessment workgroup, Director of the Health and Elderly Services, Eksote, tel. +358 40 194 4936, [email protected]
Kristiina Kapulainen, Secretary of the situation assessment workgroup, Head of Safety and Preparedness, Eksote, tel. +358 40 651 1791, [email protected]
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