Testers from countries where an Omicron variant has been found should avoid traveling to South Africa
The regional authorities have ordered Vantaa to immediately conduct Covid tests for all passengers arriving at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport who have recently been in countries where Omicron has been found.
Yle’s news
•
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health issued a recommendation on Saturday to travelers who have been in countries where a variant of the B.1.1.529 coronavirus, called Omicron, has been detected.
The ministry said the new variant “poses a significant threat to the health and well-being of the population” and the adequacy of vaccination protection, adding that it could lead to a “significant deterioration in the epidemic situation”.
Health officials said all passengers who have been in countries where Omicron has been detected in the last 14 days should be required to undergo mandatory medical examinations and quarantine until they can be shown to be uninfected.
By Saturday, the variant had been spotted in several South African countries, and at least in Hong Kong, Israel, and Belgium through a traveler visiting Egypt and Turkey. Germany, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom also reported suspected cases on Saturday.
In practice, the order must be enforced by regional government agencies (AVIs) across the country for it to officially enter into force.
Mandatory testing at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
At noon on Saturday, the City of Southern Finland ordered the City of Vantaa to immediately arrange health checks and Covid tests for all passengers arriving at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport who have been in countries where Omicron has been found in the last two weeks.
The tentative list includes South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Mozambique and Malawi. It will be updated as new information comes from the Department of Health and Welfare (THL), Avi said. The regulation does not apply to children under 6 years of age.
The Vantaa authorities announced earlier on Saturday that Helsinki-Vantaa Airport will start mandatory testing and quarantine for all passengers arriving from South Africa on connecting flights. There are no direct flights from the area to Finland.
The change was announced on Twitter Timo Aronkytö, Deputy Mayor of Vantaa, where the airport is located. He said passengers arriving from Frankfurt and Munich in Germany will be screened.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Avoid South Africa
Late Friday in Finnish time, the World Health Organization (WHO) described B.1.1.529 as a “concern” and named it Omicron.
Also late on Friday, the State Department recommended avoiding all travel to South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Eswatin.
“A new variant of Covid-19, called B.1.1.529, has been identified in South Africa and Botswana with numerous mutations in the spike protein. Due to the mutations, the variant is feared to spread efficiently,” the ministry said. opinion (switch to another service).
15.43: Updated with Avi subscription.
17.43: Updated for UK cases.