The Finnish Government is issuing a decree on lifting the restrictions on movement at the borders of Uusimaa at the government plenary session that begins today on 15 April at 1.00 pm. The restrictions are lifted immediately after the session.
The police have started to prepare for dismantling the monitoring organisation related to the situation. The police departments of Helsinki, Eastern Uusimaa, Western Uusimaa, Southwestern Finland, Häme and Southeastern Finland have worked in close cooperation during the operation led by the Helsinki Police Department. The Border Guard and the Defence Forces have provided official assistance for monitoring the movement restrictions.
“The cooperation has worked extremely well, and everyone involved has performed excellently during this historic operation. People have worked long shifts in many different kinds of weather conditions,” praises National Police Commissioner Seppo Kolehmainen.
The restriction on movement between Uusimaa and other regions entered into force on 28 March 2020. The volume of inspected traffic included 529,188 vehicles and passengers by 14 April 2020. The police had to turn back 4,316 people, which is approximately 0.82% of the overall traffic volume. There were 115 fines and 154 admonitions issued.
“From the point of view of the police, people have as a rule complied with the restrictions on movement at the borders of the Uusimaa region well. Thanks to everyone who complied with the restrictions! The number of people who had to be turned back, and especially those who acted in a grossly negligent way leading to a fine, was low compared to the overall traffic volume,” Kolehmainen says.
According to Kolehmainen, lifting the isolation of Uusimaa frees up police resources for other duties. At the moment, the overall operational effectiveness of the police is good.
Based on statistics, the number of domestic disturbance calls at the beginning of the year has increased by roughly 26%. The increase in domestic disturbance calls is caused both by noise and disruptive behaviour. The number of domestic violence calls has also increased during the emergency conditions. There are major regional differences, however. In general, the number of monitoring and emergency tasks has slightly decreased. A slight increase can be seen in the number of drunk driving cases.
“The range of tasks of the police shows that anxiety, mental health problems, mental ill-health and self-destructive behaviour have increased. We need to support each other in this difficult time. Even though physical contact must be kept at minimum, we need all mental support we can give to each other. I also want to remind people that if you feel like you are not strong enough to cope, there are services that can help you,” Kolehmainen says.
The police are concerned about May Day celebrations
Young people were increasingly gathering in large numbers during Easter. Regionally, there were even gatherings of large groups, in which the police had to intervene.
The police are concerned about the coming May Day and the warmer weather. The Government has also urged people not to go to their summer cottages in this situation.
“We ask people to continue following the instructions to avoid close contact, travel and group gatherings. What we do matters, and it is important that every one of us understands that. The better we can follow the orders and instructions given due to the emergency conditions, the faster we can return to our normal everyday lives. There will be other May Days,” Kolehmainen says.
The police urge adults to monitor what children and young people are doing and, if necessary, instruct them on how important it is to avoid close contact.
According to the observations of the police, restaurants have complied with their obligation to remain closed well.
