Finland reintroducing work from home recommendation amid coronavirus surge

Finland is rolling back recommendations for returning to work as rising COVID-19 cases stoke concerns for health authorities.

“The rise in infections gives reason to consider continuing remote working … where it is possible,” Minister of Social Affairs and Health Aino-Kaisa Pekonen said on Twitter on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

Pekonen said she submitted a request for guidelines on working from home to be updated, just days after the Scandinavian nation had dropped previous guidelines advising people to work from their homes.

The reversal comes as health authorities announced 29 new cases in a span of 24 hours Wednesday, raising a seven-day total to 98, up from 52 last week.

Finland saw a peak of coronavirus cases in March and April, though the country was able to contain outbreaks by imposing restrictions such as canceling school and closing restaurants.

Since then, reports of cases in June and July have been relatively low but have led some residents to ignore social distancing rules as many partake in summer holiday activities.

As of Wednesday, Finland has reported a total of 7,512 cases, with 331 deaths related to the virus since the pandemic began earlier this year, according to Johns Hopkins University data.