Concern in Finland over COVID-19 cases in fans returning from Europa

Finnish authorities expressed concern on Thursday after discovering nearly 100 cases of covid-19 In fans who returned to the country after watching the European Cup soccer match in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The Prime Minister and the health authority responsible for the epidemic, THL, called on Finns who returned to the country after the defeat to Belgium on Monday to get tests.

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“It is important that everyone (returning from Russia) gets tested. Possible cases will be identified in this way and the disease will not be able to spread.”, Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced to Finnish media on the sidelines of a European summit in Brussels.

Neighboring local authorities on the Finnish-Russian border counted 86 cases in tests carried out at customs centers, in the absence of analysis of all tests.

As a result of saturation and traffic jams caused by the return of about 3,000 fans on Tuesday, Finnish border guards were forced to let in about 800 people without being tested, according to local media.

Russia is facing an increase in cases of the most contagious delta-type coronavirus, a situation that particularly affects Saint Petersburg, the host city of the European Championship.

In a statement, the THL health authority indicated that people who returned should be tested after 72 hours, highlighting that the infection rate in Saint Petersburg was currently twenty times higher than in the Nordic country. Finland was excluded from the European Championship after its defeat on Monday night against Belgium (2-0) in Russia.