A reception centre for asylum seekers in Mikkeli, eastern Finland, that was slated to be closed down has been given a new lease on life.
The Suonsaari reception centre will now remain open indefinitely. It had been scheduled for shutdown at the end of June but then the closure had been postponed until the end of the year.
The South-East Finland District of the Finnish Red Cross, which runs the centre, made the announcement on Tuesday. The Finnish Migration Service (Migri) informed the Red Cross of its decision a day earlier.
Last centre in South Savo region
The Suonsaari centre, located in a former old-age home, now at full capacity with more than 200 people. Some have been transferred there from facilities that have been closed elsewhere. It is now the only reception centre in the South Savo region.
The number of asylum reception centres in Finland has dropped by more than half since mid-2016.
One of the country's largest centres, the Evitskog centre in Kirkkonummi, which has more than 300 residents, is set to close on November 13. After that there are to be 65 centres, unless there is a significant change in the number of asylum seekers.