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All of Europe is affected by a massive second wave. All Europe? No.
Analysis
Koronavilkku instead of SwissCovid: what the Finns are doing right in the Corona crisis
Sweden was the center of interest for a long time with its “Sonderweg”. But the real model country in terms of fighting Covid-19 is right next door. The Finns show Europe how to do it right.
The “Wall Street Journal” (WSJ) on Wednesday published a highly acclaimed article by its German correspondent, Bojan Pancevski. The holder is:
In this article we will focus mainly on the Finns. Because they are the “secret” showcase nation when it comes to fighting pandemics, as infection numbers show. More on this below.
This is a modified quote from Thursday’s edition of the Austrian daily “Der Standard”. In neighboring eastern Switzerland, stringent exit restrictions have been in place since Tuesday after hospitals were threatened with overload due to corona patients.
Meanwhile, everyday life prevails in Helsinki. “Life here is much closer to normal than in most countries,” the WSJ quotes a theater director. On Saturday he performed his own piece. In front of a small audience, of course. After the performance, she and her colleagues went to an Italian restaurant while a rock concert was being held in a nearby bar, a scene that has now become unimaginable in most European countries.
This article explores the question of why Finns have the coronavirus under control, and not the other way around. An advert: As with the entire Corona crisis, we learn from constant observation. SARS-CoV-2 and the Covid-19 disease caused by the virus are extremely unpredictable. What is true today may be challenged tomorrow by new scientific discoveries.
So we looked curiously to the far north and found out what the Finns do differently.
Strong woman
This is Sanna Marin, the head of government of Finland. Image: keystone
The 35-year-old Social Democrat is the youngest prime minister in Finnish history and at the time she took office (shortly before the crown crisis) she was the youngest female head of government in the world.
Sanna Marin says that quickly controlling the spread of the virus is essential not only from a health perspective, but also from an economic perspective.
Even in dealing with the first wave, it was clear that the Finnish government listens less to whispers from corporate lobbyists and more to epidemiologists. More on the specific measurements below.
During the crisis, Finland and Norway are also distinguished by the fact that they have forged a broad political consensus on their pandemic plans, says Bojan Pancevski in his report for the Wall Street Journal.
The measures imposed by the government have hardly changed over time: this avoids the confusion of constantly changing rules, as in the rest of Europe. Population surveys show that Sanna Marin and the entire Finnish government enjoy broad public support.
Let’s hope:
The young head of government played an important role in this, she is considered an excellent communicator.
Prepare for a crisis instead of complacency
Oh, how good we Swiss feel. In May.
The danger seemed over. The Minister of Health practiced public brushing of the belly of the population.
A carefree summer followed.
Meanwhile, Finland was preparing for what would come after the first wave.
Finnish universities worked with authorities to train thousands of online volunteers in contact tracing. And the launch of the application was prepared.
Corona warning app is widely used
Finland is the country in Europe where the official Corona warning app (“Koronavilkku”) has achieved an unprecedented level of acceptance among its own population.
The Finns missed the start. The app wasn’t ready until September. Or was this perfect moment (in hindsight) when summer was drawing to a close and winter was drawing near?
The fact is that just a week after its launch, a third of Finns downloaded the app on their mobile phones.
More than 2.5 million of the 5.5 million inhabitants have already installed the Corona app. (The Finnish Ministry of Health only communicates this number and does not reveal how many active users there are on the website.)
The bitter comparison from the Swiss point of view: the SwissCovid app currently has 1.81 million active users. With a total population of a good 8.5 million people.
Mind you: Koronavilkku and SwissCovid are based on the interfaces that Apple and Google provide for the new iPhone and Android smartphones. Both comply with the highest data protection standards.
There is no power for Covidiots
No, these are not protesting “Crown Skeptics” – a rally by Extinction Rebellion Finland on November 18, 2020 on the topic of climate protection and EU agricultural policy. Image: keystone
Have you heard of Finnish “crown rebels” getting into skirmishes with the police in unmasked protests? Neither do I. In May there was a small unauthorized demonstration in front of Parliament. The police intervened and sent several dozen protesters home.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health summed up the consistent stance of the Finns:
“When the government makes rules to protect us from a pandemic, we don’t take to the streets like people in other countries to protest against them.”
In fact, the vast majority of the population should adhere to the measures ordered by the government. More than 80 percent of people are said to comply with regulations and recommendations.
Massively strict border controls
Tracker dogs K’ssi (left) and Miina with trainer Susanna Paavilainen. Image: keystone
Since September, four corona detector dogs have been trained in Helsinki to sniff out the virus from samples from passengers arriving at the airport.
That’s the sympathetic side of tighter border controls. Finland went through a tough two-month lockdown in the first wave of spring. Travel to and from the capital Helsinki was prohibited.
The “Wall Street Journal” says:
“All the countries that have successfully fought the coronavirus have strict controls on their borders, such as Finland and Norway. However, borders in Europe remain largely open, even if governments reintroduce draconian restrictions and restrict fundamental freedoms. “
The Finnish health minister believes that the premature suspension of international flights and the invitation to the population not to travel abroad are the basis of Finland’s success. Just as important, or perhaps even more important, is the fight against super spreaders.
Fighting super spreaders
Finland and Norway are following the same disease control strategy, notes the Wall Street Journal:
- strict border controls,
- mandatory quarantine and
- Contact tracking that focuses on containing super spreader events.
As we know, anyone who contracts the new coronavirus without being noticed can become a super spreader and unintentionally infect many more people.
Health authorities in Norway and Finland appear to be able to trace the origin of most new coronavirus cases. An efficient testing system and constant monitoring of infection chains help keep the number of infections low.
The country certainly benefits from low population density, a highly developed digital infrastructure, and an efficient healthcare system.
Finns think ahead
The young Finnish head of government is said to have the last word for the moment. Sanna Marin doesn’t want to depend on her country’s recent successes, but she aims to fight Covid-19 across Europe.
“This is not a competition. We all have to succeed to be sure … In Finland the situation is more stable, but we are also at higher risk if the virus spreads to other countries.”
Prime Minister of Finland: “People want to find someone to blame, and governments and politicians are often the easiest to blame.” Image: keystone
Sanna Marin knows that the situation at home can change dramatically in a few weeks. Some corona groups are needed to aggravate the situation.
“It could get worse very quickly if we are not aware of the seriousness of the situation and do not pay constant attention to our actions.”
PS: The number and frequency of new Covid-19 cases are increasing, the Finnish Ministry of Health warned on Thursday.
the essentials in brief
- Of all the European countries, Finland has best mastered the crown crisis so far. This is demonstrated by the number of infections and economic development.
- The head of government Sanna Marin is 35 years old and listens to scientists instead of lobbyists. She says the most effective way to protect the economy is to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
- Finland and Norway share the same disease control strategy: strict border controls, mandatory quarantine and contact tracing, which is focused on containing super-spread events.
- The Finnish corona warning app has an unmatched level of acceptance across Europe. Launched in September, it was installed by half the population.
- A key element in the successful fight against the disease in Finland is the relatively high level of trust that the population has in politics and government.
