Finland
Head of government celebrates despite Corona contact – and apologizes
Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland, is in trouble over the night she wandered around Helsinki with her husband and friends
© Markku Ulander / Lehtikuva / DPA
Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin must defend itself against criticism. Because even though her foreign minister was Corona-positive, she and girlfriend went to clubs and restaurants in Helsinki.
Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin has come under fire for a party night just hours after her foreign minister tested positive for the corona virus. The 36-year-old had apologized publicly and according to the Finnish newspaper “Helsingin Sanomat” When asked, she also said that she hoped her excursion into the nightlife would not undermine her authority in the fight against the corona pandemic. However, according to a poll published on Tuesday, two thirds of Finns consider the Prime Minister’s behavior to be a “serious mistake”.
A gossip magazine published photos of the head of government in a discotheque in Helsinki on Monday. Marin had therefore gone out on Saturday evening and danced until the early hours of the morning. Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto tested positive on the same day. According to “Helsingin Sanomat” Marin had declared in his own words that “no special measures are required”. However, later that evening, the government’s security department instructed ministers to avoid contact. This message did not reach Marin because she had left one of her two work phones at home.
Sanna Marin celebrates despite contact with Corona-positive
She went out with her husband, met friends “and also enjoyed the evening and the nightlife,” said the Social Democrat on Facebook. Previously, she had been officially assured that she did not have to isolate herself in accordance with the applicable Corona guidelines, although she had had contact with someone who was proven to be infected.
“I should have used better judgment and double-checked the pointers given to me,” said Marin. “I am very sorry that I did not understand that I should have done this.”
In a European comparison, Finland has come through the pandemic well so far. The country with its 5.5 million inhabitants has recorded around 196,000 infections and 1,384 deaths. However, the number of new infections with 308 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the past two weeks was higher than ever before.
Not the first criticism of the head of government
Marin was the youngest head of government in the world at the time of her appointment in 2019. She had already come under repeated criticism for parties in her official residence and for posts in online networks that were criticized as dubious. “I am a representative of the younger generation,” she said. “And yes, that’s reflected in the way I work and live.”