Finland wants to lift some coronavirus restrictions early due to easing pressure on the healthcare system. “The burden on hospitals is still high, but the most severe cases have fallen and there has been a turn for the better in the intensive care units,” Health Minister Hanna Sarkinen wrote on Twitter yesterday. From February 1, restrictions on events and businesses will be relaxed.

As in the rest of Europe, new infections have increased significantly in Finland recently. In the past week, the government expanded a number of restrictions, including shorter opening hours for restaurants and bars and maximum limits for participants in public gatherings.

Curfew at 9 p.m

At the time, Prime Minister Sanna Marin assumed that most restrictions would remain in place until mid-February. But from the start of the month, restaurants can now remain open until 9pm instead of 6pm.

On the other hand, bars still have to close at 6pm. Restrictions on cultural and sporting events, which authorities have acknowledged have a low risk of infection, must also be lifted.

Recently, the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare reported about 52,000 new cases of coronavirus in the past week. The week before it was 57,000. Since the beginning of the epidemic, more than 470,000 confirmed cases and 1,733 deaths related to the virus have been recorded in Finland. Finland has a population of about 5.5 million people.

With its announcement, the Finnish government is following the example of neighboring Denmark, which intends to finish nearly all procedures by February 1.