Finland to Force Quarantine on Travelers From Most of World

(Bloomberg) -- Finland will quarantine travelers from most of the world to halt the spread of Covid-19.

Just 25 countries are currently exempt from the mandatory quarantine, Krista Kiuru, minister for family affairs and social services, told reporters on Monday. Passengers who fail to comply face at most three months jail time or a fine and airlines will be required to disclose transit passengers to avoid attempts to circumvent the rules.

The government will also allow authorities to conduct mandatory testing of passengers for Covid-19, Kiuru said, adding that the new restrictions will come into force as soon as possible.

Exempt countries include Norway, Denmark and the Baltic countries as well as Japan and South Korea, while the U.S. and Finland’s neighbors Sweden and Russia are among those targeted by the new rules. Finland’s Covid-19 situation remains contained with few cases reported daily. There have been a total of about 7,600 confirmed infections.

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