The economic and business daily Kauppalehti reports (siirryt toiseen palveluun) that the Bank of Finland on Sunday announced measures aimed at easing the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak on both businesses and households.
The bank announced that it will reenter the domestic bond market, initially to the tune of 500 million euros. Its main target right now is ease the position of credit institutions and ensure financing for businesses, especially small and mid-size enterprises, as well as private households.
In a statement released late Sunday, the Governor of the Bank of Finland, Olli Rehn, stressed the need for fast, effective action to secure financing for businesses, protect jobs and to make sure households can deal with the pressures of the outbreak.
Several papers, including Oulu's Kaleva (siirryt toiseen palveluun), report that the heads of the five parties in the Finnish coalition government gathered on Sunday evening, to prepare for a Monday cabinet meeting which is expected to announce new measures to curb the spread of the virus and protect groups that are at special risk.
A government press conference on the issue is expected on Monday afternoon.
Telecommuting
As the daily Helsingin Sanomat points out (siirryt toiseen palveluun), many people are staying away from their jobs and telecommuting now.
The paper present several examples of people working from home, are as in the case of Helsinki resident Riku Mattila, withdrawing to countryside holiday cottages to work. He said that since moving around the city is now somewhat restricted, he feels less confined in the countryside and appreciates his cottage all the more.
HS does point out (siirryt toiseen palveluun), however that there can be a downside. In Norway, the authorities have instructed city dwellers to stay away from their holiday cottages. This is because many are remote, would be difficult for emergency services to access, and an influx of outsiders could overwhelm local healthcare services.
Similar guidance has not been issued in Finland, but the public has been urged (siirryt toiseen palveluun) to avoid nonessential domestic travel, mainly in order to avoid the use of mass transit as much as possible.
However, not everyone can telecommute. In a separate article, this paper notes that employees in the healthcare sector and many other service industries are still on the job.
The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) has gathered advice for workers to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (siirryt toiseen palveluun). There is also advice on what to do if you suspect you have contracted the virus.
Scams
Police are warning the public to be beware of virus-related scams.
The tabloid Iltalehti reports (siirryt toiseen palveluun) that on Saturday a resident of Vihti, about 50 kilometres northwest of Helsinki, admitted three men to their home who claimed to be carrying out a coronavirus inspection.
After going through the residence, they demanded a debit card payment of 10 euros and left. Afterwards, the resident found that they had taken a large sum of cash, other valuables and alcohol.
Police say that this incident goes to show that there are people ready to exploit the situation and prey on the public's fears. They say that typically, scams of any sort target older people who live alone and they are urging the public to talk to older friends and relatives about being increasingly wary of unusual requests.
Rays of sunshine
The newspaper Ilta-Sanomat asked (siirryt toiseen palveluun) readers how they are spending their time these days with so many restrictions in place on usual entertainment activities.
The general response was that people are not at all unhappy about slowing down and taking life easier.
Reading, cooking, photography and catching up on movies were all high on the list of things people are doing. Giving more attention, and affection, to a significant other was also mentioned more than once.
Outdoor activities are also very popular, walking, hiking in the forests and skiing where there is enough snow.
Monday afternoon should be a good time to get out and exercise, according to the day's forecast (siirryt toiseen palveluun) in Iltalehti.
Following a cloudy, windy morning, skies are expected to clear over most of the country, bringing plenty of sunshine and temperatures between +1 and +5 degrees. Finnish Lapland can look forward to more snow and daytime highs between -1 and -6 Celsius.
