Instruc­tions to event orga­niz­ers in Soite’s area

This text has been updat­ed on the 10th of June 2021

The Region­al State Admin­is­tra­tive Agency of West­ern and Inland Fin­land (AVI) has made a new deci­sion on the 9th of June 2021 on restric­tions regard­ing pub­lic events and gen­er­al gath­er­ings indoors and out­doors in Cen­tral Ostro­both­nia hos­pi­tal dis­trict (except­ing Reisjärvi) dur­ing the peri­od 10th of June — 22nd of June 2021.  Accord­ing to the deci­sion, pub­lic events and gen­er­al gath­er­ings may be orga­nized indoors with more than 10 par­tic­i­pants and in enclosed out­door spaces out­doors with more than 50 par­tic­i­pants. A pre­req­ui­site is that the guide­lines by the Min­istry of Edu­ca­tion and Cul­ture and The Insti­tute for Health and Wel­fare from the 31st of May 2021 (in Finnish) are fol­lowed. More infor­ma­tion in the press release by the Region­al State Admin­is­tra­tive Agency (in Finnish).

An event orga­niz­er has the respon­si­bil­i­ty to take the pre­ven­tion of coro­n­avirus infec­tions into account

• You will find information on restrictions and recommendations in different phases of the epidemic on the website of the Finnish Government.
• Frequently asked questions about the coronavirus are updated on the website of the Regional State Administrative Agency 
• Information on the epidemiological situation and restrictions in different areas can be found in Tapahtumateollisuus ry’s “tilannehuone”. 
• Information on the pandemic and restrictions in Soite’s area are updated in the situational picture: https://korona.soite.fi/en/the-coronavirus-situation/

Event orga­niz­ers must ensure hygiene prac­tices in accor­dance with § 58 c in the Com­mu­ni­ca­ble Dis­eases Act (in Finnish) in order to pre­vent the spread of the coro­n­avirus. Event orga­niz­ers must:

• make sure the participants have the possibility to wash their hands
• avoid crowding, there must be plenty of space at arrival and when leaving, sufficient toilet spaces
• make sure surfaces that are touched are cleaned
• use of masks is recommended indoors
• the size of the space must be sufficient in relation to the number of participants, it must be possible to maintain safe distances
• participants must be informed about coronavirus safety: one should only participate if one is healthy

At events with over 50 peo­ple, the orga­niz­er must have a writ­ten plan for the pre­ven­tion of coro­n­avirus infec­tions. It is rec­om­mend­ed, that the plan is also sub­mit­ted to Soite’s team of infec­tious dis­eases by e‑mail: infektioidentorjunta@soite.fi

Orga­niz­ers of events with over 500 par­tic­i­pants must sub­mit their plan two weeks in advance to Soite’s team of infec­tious dis­eases (infektioidentorjunta@soite.fi). If need­ed, the plan is reviewed togeth­er with the event organizer.

The con­tent of the plan

Acquaint your­self with the instruc­tions for event orga­niz­ers by the Min­istry of Edu­ca­tion and Cul­ture and the Insti­tute for Health and Wel­fare THL that has been updat­ed on 31st of May 2021 (in Finnish). 

Also acquaint your­self with the Region­al State Admin­is­tra­tive Agency’s instruc­tions for event orga­niz­ers: https://avi.fi/en/frequently-asked-questions

The con­tent of the plan can be based on these instructions.

Also acquaint your­self with the fol­low­ing pages and instructions:

The page of the Min­istry of Edu­ca­tion and Culture’s project “Tur­val­liset tapah­tu­mat työryh­mä” (work­ing group for safe events)

The instruc­tions by the Finnish Insti­tute of Occu­pa­tion­al Health for the ser­vice sec­tor (in Finnish)

The instruc­tions by the Finnish Insti­tute of Occu­pa­tion­al Health on clean­ing (in Finnish) 

Instruc­tions on the use of pro­tec­tive gloves

Instruc­tions on the use of face masks 

An event orga­niz­er has an oblig­a­tion to act if a coro­n­avirus infec­tion is confirmed

• An event organizer is obligated to help with the tracing of a coronavirus infection if health authorities confirm a person with a coronavirus infection has been at the event.
  
  
• If a coronavirus infection is confirmed in connection to an event, the organizer must, if possible and in accordance with other laws, have information on the participants, so that participants who may have been exposed to the coronavirus can be traced.
  
  
• If a coronavirus infection is confirmed at an event, the possibility of exposures is investigated. Those who have been exposed must be traced and put into a 14-day long quarantine in accordance with the Communicable Diseases Act. The doctor who is responsible for communicable diseases in the municipality or hospital district has the responsibility for investigating the chains of infection.
  
  
• Restricting the number of participants and preventing different groups from mixing helps to minimize the number of persons who are exposed if a coronavirus infection should be confirmed in one of the participants.