Finnish media surprised by Estonian foreign minister's quarantine statement

Tallink ships in port in Tallinn.
Tallink ships in port in Tallinn. Source: Siim Lõvi/ERR

Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) told ERR on Monday that quarantine-free travel to Finland will only be allowed for work purposes starting September 28. However, the Finnish government has not yet confirmed the regulation and the Finnish media has reported surprised at Reinsalu's sudden statement.

Reinsalu told ERR: "This new order will see that firstly, people who work in Finland can still go to Finland without quarantine or any restrictions. Everyone else can aslo travel to Finland, but regular travellers and tourists are obligated to self-isolate for 14 days and that could also be checked."

Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat (HS) wrote on Monday evening that Reinsalu's statement is strange, as the Finnish government has not yet announced their decision. In addition, the paper wrote that Reinsalu did not consider relaxations already in place for Estonian-Finnish travel.

For example, it is possible to enter Estonia from Finland for charter and group travel even if Estonia's new case rate per 100,000 inhabitants exceeds 25, if the travel does not exceed 72 hours, Reinsalu said.

HS reported that Finnish authorities emphasized that no decision has yet been made. The interior ministry is preparing possible travel restriction amendments and the Finnish government will discuss the topic on Thursday.

Daily Iltalehti also also reported on Reinsalu's statement, adding that the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare still considers Estonia among its list of "green" countries, to which extensive travel restrictions are not applied.

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Editor: Kristjan Kallaste

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