Finland PM apologises for partying amid being in contact with COVID positive person

On Saturday evening, Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin stoked controversy after she went on to party until the early hours of the morning in a Helsinki nightclub, despite warnings that she needed to go into isolation as she met with Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, who recently tested positive for COVID-19. She later apologised for what she called an indiscretion, but her action elicited outrage. Critics called it irresponsible behaviour from the PM's side.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Sanna Marin apologised saying that she should have double-checked the guidelines. In a long post, she stated that she is deeply sorry for not realising that she needed to check the guidelines and use better judgements. The 36-year-old Prime Minister technically did not break Finland's public health rules because vaccinated people are not required to quarantine. However, while in contact with someone who tested positive, the guideline advises actively avoiding interaction with people outside the family.

Marin claims she didn't get the message until Sunday morning

Sanna Marin claimed that she was initially informed by a staff member that there was no need for quarantine because everyone in the party was vaccinated. However, a message to Marin's official phone warned everyone who came into contact with the positive case, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, to avoid contact with others, according to BBC. She claims that she didn't get the message until Sunday morning because she had left her work phone at home during her night out.

Marin told reporters in parliament on Wednesday that she had not received this instruction until Sunday and she accept personal responsibility for the lack of information and apologised for her conduct once more, according to BBC. Opposition MPs stated that Marin could have set a positive example by voluntarily isolating herself rather than going clubbing. Mia Laiho, a National Coalition Party MP, called Marin's actions irresponsible. Marin became the youngest PM when she was chosen to lead a coalition with four other parties in 2019.

COVID tally in Finland 

As of now, Finland has seen 197,476 COVID cases and 1,395 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic In addition, the country has reported eight cases of the novel Omicron variant, which specialists believe may be a more transmissible variant of the COVID-19. Around 71% of the Finnish population are fully vaccinated while 76% has received one dose, according to Statista.

Image: AP