From
11 May Finnair will start accepting a Covid-19 vaccination certificate from the
first vaccination dose as an alternative to a negative test result or a
certificate of a previous Covid-19 infection.
“Vaccines have proven their
power in fighting the pandemic, and vaccination certificates will play a key
role in the upcoming EU Digital Green Certificate to ensure the health and
safety of travellers,” said Kimmo Ketola, medical director at Finnair.
“The likelihood of a vaccinated person being infected and transmitting Covid-19
is very small.”
Finnair will accept vaccination certificates for all Covid-19
vaccines approved by the World Health Organisation or the European Medical
Agency. The vaccine needs to be administered at least 21 days before the travel
date. The certificate needs to include the customer’s name, date of birth, the
name of the vaccine producer, the time and place the vaccine was administered,
as well as the issuer of the certificate.
At the same time, the Finnish government has extended its restrictions
on entry into the country until 25 May 2021. The Government said the measures
would continue because there were no “adequate measures available to replace
the restrictions”.
Currently, there is a ban on entry from all countries other than
Iceland, the Vatican, Australia, South Korea, Singapore,
Rwanda, Thailand and New Zealand.
Essential business travel
from China, Hong Kong and Macau is also permitted.
Under the Constitution of Finland, Finnish citizens and
residents of Finland always have the right to return to Finland, and everyone
has the right to leave Finland if they so wish, provided that there is no legal
impediment to this. However, the Government still recommends avoiding
unnecessary travel to other countries, except for countries for which the
restrictions on entry have been lifted.
The Government
recommends a 14-day period of self-isolation for travellers arriving in Finland
from most countries but travellers may shorten their quarantine by taking
another Covid-19 test no earlier than 72 hours after arriving in Finland.