President of Finland Sauli Niinistö: Our policy against the corona virus works

As usual, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö receives journalists at his Talludden residence in Helsinki. The DN is now interviewing the President by phone. It is in a confined area, all of Uusimaa is closed until April 19. Restaurants and cafes in Finland are closed, schools teach at a distance.

– At this moment it seems that our policy has worked. We have low mortality rates and the number of people who need intensive care is also low. So far, it seems to have been going well, says the president, quickly adding:

– Look! We are wiser afterwards.

To finland has entered for such severe restrictions on the corona virus, significantly more powerful than in Sweden, it is exactly what Niinistö himself has worked for. As early as March 9, he called the president of the parliamentary groups to Talludden to discuss how Finland would curb the crown eruption. He was active in the context for the government to implement the emergency preparedness law. The Emergency Preparedness Act gives the Finnish government great powers to decide, among other things, on who should receive care and medication.

Such a law can only be adopted if the country is in a state of emergency. Finland has never done this in peacetime. But on March 16, the government announced that emergency permits would be introduced and that schools would close.

– It was easy to establish that an emergency permit is needed. And there I did my part. He was active and warned, says Niinistö.

According to critics, Niinistö should they have remained more in the background, as the Finnish president is the main responsible for foreign policy. Internal affairs belong to the government table.

– To explain the state of emergency it must be done together with the government. I notified the government that we should do it. The government had a much bigger job when it came to reviewing legislation and crafting all the necessary measures. They did all the preparatory work for a weekend, Niinistö replies.

He continues:

– How would you have thought if it had been silent the whole time? I am president, after all.

Since the corona virus broke out Niinistö’s role as a field father has become increasingly strong. Call on the Finns to give consideration and solidarity. At the same time, she has very little patience with carelessness and educates people who believe they are resistant to the corona virus.

– That kind of courage will end in the last bed, Niinistö thundered in an interview with Yle.

Aren’t you afraid of educating people?

– I don’t like the attitude “I can do it, let the coronary come.” I wanted to raise awareness of the crisis. But he also wanted the Finns to understand that one can maintain physical distances but still be close to each other in thought.

At the same time, Niinistö points out, Finns, like Swedes, have a tradition of respecting the law. Despite this, the government considered it necessary to block Uusimaa and Helsinki, close restaurants and introduce distance education in schools.

Why doesn’t Finland believe in volunteering, if people are still good at following the recommendations?

– We also start with recommendations. But you can’t recommend people not to go out to eat if the restaurants are still open. So people think, “The restaurant is open, I go in.” Regulation is needed here. If there are clear regulations, it is easier to get people to act as they should.

The most important question in Finland. now is how to be able to open after shutdown without a new wave of major infection. According to plans, the detention centers around Helsinki and Uusima will be removed on April 19. Schools will open May 13, restaurants only in late May.

Niinistö says the answer is to increase the evidence.

– It is about creating dams. To stop new scales trying and finding people who wear a crown without knowing it themselves. So more people can work and live their lives normally. If it is successful, it doesn’t take that long. We are stepping up testing in Finland now.

The fact that Sweden and Finland have completely different strategies regarding the coronavirus is something Niinistö has noticed. Who is right does not want to say it.

– I cannot comment on Sweden’s strategy. You trust Sweden. My opinion is that the experts in Sweden and Finland have different opinions. Then we know which policy was the best.

These broad restrictions will be very expensive for Finland. Is it worth the price to save lives if you destroy other lives at the same time?

– It does not help the economy if more people die. And that does not mean that it will be more expensive to impose restrictions than not. In Finland, we believe that through faster delimitations, we will control the situation more quickly. Then we can also quickly move to a normal life, or at least to a level where we can keep all the wheels spinning. We believe it is worth it in the long run. But no one knows yet.

That Finland has two wars Niinistö believes in his immediate history to play a role.

– We don’t have that many people from wartime, but being prepared is deep in Finnish memory. Now I am talking about security of supply. It is a specialty in Finland. It is also easier to introduce emergency laws in Finland, but it was not easy here either. Extensive work was required to study all the laws. But the fact is that Finland is worth protecting. This is also seen in our compulsory military service.

Finland has one of the best-equipped emergency reserves in Europe. At the same time, Finnish law prohibits sharing with neighbors, such as Sweden.

Can Finland try to change the law and share it with Sweden if a critical need arises?

– When it comes to protective gear to fight the crown, we ourselves do not have enough. The fact that we had additional equipment is due to the fact that it was purchased by sars ten years ago. But that is not enough, we have a great shortage. There is currently a lot of discussion in Finland about how to handle the situation. When it comes to food and energy, the kind of daily needs, maybe there are opportunities. We have much more of that.

Niinistö has been active and made diplomatic contact with China to bring in more protective gear. Until now, he doesn’t know if he has really led to something.

– All countries in Europe have the same problem. You have ordered a lot, but nothing will come.

Again and again Sauli Niinistö has He said to the Finnish public: We can do this. And he sticks to that. At the same time, he notes that the corona virus does not go away, even if the infection spreads.

– Coronan will hide somewhere. The danger of a new wave does not disappear. We are not completely free until a vaccine has been developed. This is a disaster, but maybe it is changing our thinking, maybe the people in the world realize that a common threat must be answered together.

Not now, says Niinistö.

– Everyone is still too surprised.

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