Temporary provisions of Communicable Diseases Act on restrictions concerning food and beverage service businesses to remain in force until end of February 2021
On 1 October, the Government submitted to Parliament a proposal for an act on temporarily amending the Communicable Diseases Act. The amendment will extend the validity of the provisions on restrictions concerning food and beverage service businesses. The current Act on Temporarily Amending the Communicable Diseases Act will remain in force until 31 October 2020.
The restrictions concerning the activities of food and beverage service businesses were temporarily added to the Communicable Diseases Act, under section 58a, in May. Now the validity of the Act on Temporarily Amending the Communicable Diseases Act and the temporary section will be extended, without changing their content, from 1 November 2020 to 28 February 2021.
The Act will still lay down provisions on the necessary restrictions concerning food and beverage service businesses during the COVID-19 epidemic. This is based on the Government’s hybrid strategy, which aims to curb the epidemic effectively while minimising the adverse impact on people, businesses, society and the exercise of fundamental rights.
The temporary provisions of the Communicable Diseases Act must remain in force so that the general obligations regarding the activities of food and beverage service businesses will remain in force after October and the Government can lay down further provisions on more specific restrictions by decree. The most recent decree was issued on 30 September 2020.
Inquiries:
Ismo Tuominen, Senior Ministerial Adviser [email protected]