The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare recommends that all passengers arriving in Finland should be required to present a certificate of negative coronavirus test results, regardless of the mode of transport

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare strongly recommends that all transport and shipping companies that transport passengers should start requiring everyone over the age of 12 travelling to Finland from abroad to present a certificate confirming that they have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2, regardless of the route or mode of transport. The certificate should be presented to the operator before the journey begins. For 6–12-year-olds, the certificate is recommended, but not required. The recommendation also applies to Finnish citizens returning to Finland from abroad. The recommendation does not affect current travel restrictions at the inner and outer borders of the EU, and a negative test result does not affect the general requirements for entry into Finland. The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare recommends that operating procedures consistent with the recommendation should be implemented by Tuesday 23 February 2021 at the latest.

In response to the major threat to public health and life caused by the new variant of the coronavirus, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare considers it essential to implement measures for effectively reducing the threat of COVID-19 infection of passengers arriving in Finland. If a passenger has a medical certificate indicating that they have already had COVID-19 and that it has been less than six months since they recovered, there is no need to require them to present a certificate confirming that they have tested negative for the coronavirus.

The United Kingdom reported in December 2020 via the Early Warning and Response System of the European Union (EWRS) about a new variant of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), VOC 202012/01. In its risk assessment published on 29 December 2020 and the update thereof published on 21 January 2021, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) assessed that the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 has increased transmissibility compared to previous variants of the coronavirus. Based on current knowledge, it is assessed that if the aforementioned variant were to spread to the Finnish population, it would significantly accelerate the spread of COVID-19, thus severely endangering the health of the population and leading to health care services becoming overwhelmed.