Finland’s government will prolong the current entry restrictions to January 12, due to a surge in the number of Coronavirus cases in many countries worldwide, the Ministry of Interior has announced.

According to the Ministry’s announcement even though the infection cases in Finland have started to mark an increase in autumn the gap between the current pandemic situation in the country compared to other world countries has increased, therefore “a relaxation of the restrictions is not justified,” SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

“The decision applies to an interest rate threshold of 25 new cases per 100 000 persons during the previous 14 days. This applies to the Schengen countries, the non-Schengen EU countries and the United Kingdom,” the statement of Finland’s Ministry of Interior notes.

Finland’s authorities continue to restrict entry for all internationals wishing to enter the country from the following states: the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Iceland, Austria, Italy, Greece, Liechtenstein, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, France, Portugal, Sweden, Slovakia, Germany, Slovenia, Denmark, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Estonia as well as Hungary.

Yet, daily traffic at the land border between Finland and Sweden is permitted, while commuters are also allowed to cross the Finish-Norwegian border.

A recent decision of Finland’s government also permits citizens of Sweden and Estonia to work in Finland without being required to quarantine for ten days, which is compulsory for most of the rest of arrivals.

Finland previously lifted the entry ban imposed on Australia, Rwanda, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore as well as New Zealand.

The Ministry of Interior in Finland, in a recent report, stressed that citizens of the following non-Schengen countries would be permitted to enter Finland for business trips or other non-essential purposes: Andorra, Ireland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Monaco, Cyprus, Romania, the United Kingdom and San Marino.

“Restrictions on entry to these countries are equivalent to rules on internal border controls. Voluntary quarantine for ten days is recommended for immigrants,” the statement reads.

Finland’s government previously announced it prolonged its entry restrictions until December 13, 2020, to prevent the further spread of the disease in the country.

As yet, a total of 29,572 persons have contracted the Coronavirus pandemic in Finland while 442 persons have died.