Exchange students linked to Covid spread at Helsinki bars
The outbreak has led to about 25 students being diagnosed with the virus and a further 70 being exposed.
The Maxine nightclub was one of the premises frequented by the exchange students before their coronavirus infection was diagnosed.
Image: Petteri Bülow / Yle
The City of Helsinki has announced that foreign exchange students spent time in three city bars before their coronavirus infection was detected, and they may have exposed other customers to the virus.
The establishments visited by the students are the Old Irish Pub on Mannerheimintie in the city on dates between 26 and 29 January, the nightclub Maxine on both 20 and 27 January, and the El Patron nightclub on 22 January.
Helsinki limits school coronavirus exposure quarantine
Other municipalities quarantine entire classes in the event of exposure, but capital authorities changed policy last year.
Municipalities in Finland have differing practices on quarantining students and remote learning.
Image: Benjamin Suomela / Yle
The majority of Finnish municipalities quarantine an entire class when one student tests positive for coronavirus, but in Helsinki authorities changed their approach to school exposures at the end of November.
City authorities decided that, based on an epidemiological risk assessment, it was not necessary to quarantine entire class groups.
In practice, this means that if a student tests positive for the virus, about half or only a handful of students in the class are quarantined, regardless of whether or not the students have been wearing masks.