Coronavirus Closed gyms open in Southwest Finland and Satakunta – administrative court suspends open closure decision

Turku On Monday, the Administrative Court ordered the closure of gyms and other indoor facilities for individual exercise in Southwest Finland and Satakunta.

The interim decision issued by the Administrative Court concerns the implementation of the closure decision issued by the Regional State Administrative Agency of Southwest Finland at the end of December. The Regional State Administrative Agency had ordered the premises to be closed in the municipalities of Southwest Finland and Satakunta until 15 January.

The arbitration is related to several appeals to the administrative court. The right to give actual decisions on appeals later.

Administrative Court issued a suspension decision after obtaining the opinion of the Regional State Administrative Agency. In addition to the two jurists, the court also included a specialist in infectious diseases.

The grounds of the interlocutory judgment refer to section 58 g of the Communicable Diseases Act. The section applies to the risk assessment required in connection with a closure decision.

“In view of the explanations presented in the case, it must be considered open to interpretation whether the factors mentioned in section 58g (5) of the Communicable Diseases Act have been proportionately taken into account in the decision of the Regional State Administrative Agency,” the administrative court states in its interlocutory order.

The block still applies to facilities used for team sports and group sports, for example. The administrative court said on Monday that it is not suspending the closure of such facilities through interim decisions.

Earlier the gym lockout has been lifted in Oulu and elsewhere in Northern Ostrobothnia.

At the end of December, the Northern Finland Administrative Court first issued a similar injunction suspending it as in Southwest Finland and Satakunta. In its actual decision, the court ruled on 5 January that the extensive closure of public and client premises imposed by the regional government agency was not lawful.

The Regional State Administrative Agency of Northern Finland had given insufficient reasons for its closure decision, the administrative court stated.

The lockout in Pirkanmaa also ended last Saturday. There, the closure was not lifted by the administrative court, but the regional administrative agency decided to reopen, among other things, the gyms and padel fields.

Southern Finland instead, the regional government agency decided on Friday to extend the current interest rate restrictions for two weeks. The closure of the sports and recreation facilities in Uusimaa will continue until 24 January.

Uusimaa’s restriction decisions have also been appealed to the administrative court.

Appeals against decisions of the Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland are directed at least mainly to the Hämeenlinna Administrative Court. It has not suspended the implementation of gym closures, at least for the time being.

“We are constantly monitoring the situation. Each administrative court makes its decision in its own territory. The disease situation is worst in the Helsinki metropolitan area, ”says the administrative court judge Ari Koskinen.

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Read more: The closure of sports and recreation facilities will continue in Uusimaa for at least the next two weeks