Amendments to Communicable Diseases Act to Parliament - more means to curb the coronavirus situation 

The Government has submitted a proposal on amending the Communicable Diseases Act. The aim is to strengthen the possibilities of local and regional authorities to take proactive and swift measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Most of the amendments regarding the coronavirus epidemic would be in place only on a temporary basis.

According to the proposal, authorities could introduce regional restrictions to business and leisure activities when this is necessary to prevent the spread of the epidemic. The obligations and restrictions would be based on avoiding physical contact between people.

Stricter measures to be introduced gradually when the coronavirus epidemic accelerates

In line with the hybrid strategy roadmap, the means are introduced gradually so that obligations and restrictions could be tightened again if earlier measures were not sufficient.  

At the baseline of the epidemic, general hygiene measures would be under the law binding in all areas where customers and participants are present. Customers or participants should have access to hand cleaning and enhanced cleaning should be emphasised. Customers and participants should also be given guidelines on how best to prevent the spread of infections.

In the acceleration phase, regional authorities could make decisions that would influence the arrangement of activities to ensure that close contact does not occur. To ensure that its activities are safe, a business could choose the best way to operate so that customers could avoid close contact with one another in practice. This could mean space arrangements, staggered timetables or, alternatively, restricting the number of customers. Traficom could also decide to restrict the number of passengers by a maximum of 50 per cent during the acceleration phase.

In the community transmission phase, the municipality or the Regional State Administrative Agency can close a business or other facilities, which are intended for customers and participants, for two weeks. This can only be applied to facilities and spaces that may generate significant infection chains. These would include, for example, sports facilities, public saunas and swimming pools, dance halls, amusement parks, indoor playgrounds, and public space in shopping centres. 

Regulations would not be applied to private and family life activities.

Health and social services can be arranged in a different way than usual

Municipalities and hospital districts can already now arrange and, when necessary, change healthcare and social welfare activities in the most appropriate manner within the limits of the current legislation. This guideline should be followed also in future. 

If, however, the coronavirus epidemic would put the capacity of the health and social services system at significant risk, the Regional State Administrative Agency or the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health could decide that municipal health and social services be arranged in a different way from the current practice. For example, the treatment of patients could be concentrated to a specific hospital. 

More permanent amendments to regulations on isolation and access to information

The Government proposes more permanent amendments to the regulation on isolation, for example. In the future, isolation could take place in the person’s own home, for example, instead of a health care unit. 

The regulations on the right of an authority to access information and executive assistance will be specified. 

Inquiries: 

Kirsi Ruuhonen, Senior Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, tel. +358 295 163 239, [email protected]