HS analysis STM rolled out and regions no longer agree to follow its recommendations – yet they require national guidance

Corona epidemic In Finland, major cities in the Helsinki metropolitan area and several other municipalities in Uusimaa announced on Monday that they would largely give up tracing infections and quarantining those exposed.

The government and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM) believe that tracing and isolation should continue: on Friday, the Minister of Family and Basic Services Krista Kiuru (sd) said that if necessary, whole school classes should be able to be quarantined due to a single infection.

Cities do not abandon the line of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health because of opposition in principle. They believe that severely congested testing and tracing is no longer useful in curbing the epidemic – but rather a nuisance. Cities now prefer to focus their resources on vaccinating and treating coronary patients in hospitals.

Read more: Municipalities had to change their coronal line against the strategy approved by the government – “It puts us in a difficult position”

The influence of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in the management of epidemics has decreased, at least momentarily.

The ministry’s position on recommending distance learning was rolled out at a meeting of the government’s coronation ministerial group. The recommendation of the Ministry and the Corona Group to suspend the internal exercise of children and young people throughout the country has not yet taken the wind, at least not yet. In many areas, indoor sports facilities are the opposite is opened also for adults.

STM of course, does not propose even tougher restrictions on its malice. Kiuru and ministry officials believe that despite the very rapid spread of the micron transformation, every effort should be made to soften the infection curve. The goal of the ministry would be to protect health care from the worst burden and to gain time to promote vaccinations.

However, decisions on almost all restrictive measures are taken regionally. If regional government agencies and municipalities do not consider the transition to distance learning, the suspension of children’s hobbies and extensive tracing of infections to be necessary or effective, these measures will not be implemented. In this case, the virus can also spread faster.

Although not all regions are now meeting the wishes of the STM, they would still want national guidance. It is partly understandable: for example, there is no joy for municipalities in the current government testing and tracking strategy if they are simply unable to implement it. The municipalities in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area are urging the government to update their hybrid strategy as a matter of urgency.

On the other hand regional decision-makers themselves also make unrealistic demands on the government and the ministry. Mayor of Helsinki Juhana Vartiainen (kok) said at a press conference on Mondaythat “when the whole country is slipping into the same epidemic situation, the overall situation should be taken over by the country’s government”.

“The previous policy of restrictive measures being taken regionally was justified in the past when regional differences were large. Now we are in a situation where slightly different decisions are made in the regions in response to a similar situation, ”Vartiainen said.

In reality, the government has no way to “take control of the overall situation”.

For example, the corona coordination group chaired by Vartiainen recommended on tuesday To the Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland that this would not restrict the internal hobbies of children and young people in the way recommended by the government. The government is unable to force municipalities and regional government agencies to follow its national recommendations. According to the law, regional administrations assess the necessity of restrictions independently. It would hardly change, even if there were exceptional circumstances in the country.

It may seem contradictory to oppose the government’s nationwide recommendations and at the same time demand centralized leadership from the government.

Government may further promote a change in the law to close restaurants during the day as well. It alone will hardly slow down the spread of the epidemic very significantly anymore.

Otherwise, the government’s choice of means will begin to be exhausted. The establishment of exceptions with the President of the Republic, with the consent of Parliament, would make it possible to introduce a stand-by law, but it also does not offer many direct additional restrictions.

Nor have municipal decision-makers made it clear whether they want the government to take steps to slow down the spread of the virus, or rather some kind of political acceptance that the virus should now be allowed to pass through the population.