Travellers arriving in Finland to soon be fined for refusing to take COVID test

A new amendment to the Finnish infectious diseases act with regard to border security imposes a fine to tourists who enter Finland and refuse to take a Covid-19 test from July 12 to October 15.

Passenger arriving in Finland may soon be fined hundreds of euros for refusing to take a coronavirus test.

A new amendment to the Finnish infectious diseases act with regard to border security imposes a fine to a tourist who enters Finland and opposes a required COVID-19 test. The law takes effect July 12 and is valid until October 15.

It already was possible for the police to fine those refusing of COVID-19 tests, but authorities say the amendment will remarkably clarify the situation in judicial terms.

Konsta Arvelin, an inspector at the National Police Board, told the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat on Saturday that the change creates a completely new criminal offense in Finland, titled “violation of the COVID-19 test."

Finland has a population of 5.5 million and one of the lowest coronavirus figures in Europe. The Nordic country has maintained tight border control during the pandemic.