Helsinki to open sports, cultural centres on limited scale

The libraries, museums, gallery spaces of cultural centres, swimming halls and the Swimming Stadium managed by the City of Helsinki will open on 1 June for a limited number of clients.

The Metropolitan Area coronavirus coordination group decided on the opening up of municipal services on Thursday, said the City of Helsinki in a press release on Friday.

Kumpula Outdoor Swimming Pool will open on 7 June. At the same time, swimming and libraries can be accessed by up to half of the number of customers during normal times.

The number of customers in the gallery spaces of museums and cultural centres will also be limited. The services to be opened up will follow the current official guidelines and health safety measures.

The use of a face mask is required for everyone over the age of 12 when indoors, unless there is a health reason to wearing a mask. A face mask does not need to be used during a sports performance.

The Swimming Stadium, and Itäkeskus and Pirkkola swimming halls will be opened to the public on Tuesday. They will be open according to their normal opening hours.

The saunas at the outdoor swimming pools and swimming halls will be open, but the sports halls and gyms will remain closed.

The number of persons in outdoor swimming pools and swimming halls at the same time will be limited to up to half of the normal number of customers.

The changing cabinets are to be used in such a way that safe distances of at least 2 metres can be maintained. The arrangements shall be made in such a way as to maintain safe distances between customers. The recommended swimming time is 2 hours. This recommendation aims to ensure that as many people as possible can enjoy the pools.

Adult competitive sports activities can begin in the outside areas managed by the City of Helsinki on Tuesday. Indoor gatherings of up to 10 people can be arranged from 1 to 15 June, as well as gatherings of up to 50 (fifty) people outdoors.

In June, a limit of 10 persons will remain in force in indoor premises.

Helmet libraries have offered a limited and mainly pre-reserved data lending and return service throughout the entire coronavirus period. As of Tuesday 1 June, customers at libraries will be able to pick up works directly from the shelves. It will also be possible to use, print, copy, and scan at customer computers in libraries. Separate group activities and reading rooms will remain closed.

Library spaces will be opened with a 50 per cent customer capacity and seating will also be reduced by half. Self-service functions at the libraries, in which case there are no staff present, will not yet be possible. Other arrangements will also be made in library premises to ensure that safe distances are maintained, for example at computers and copy machines. All persons aged over 12 must continue to wear a face mask when visiting the library, if there is no health reason to prevent its use.

Helsinki City Museum, Tram Museum and Villa Hakasalmi will be opened to the public on Tuesday.

Seasonal museums Burgher’s House and Worker Housing Museum will remain closed until further notice. The exhibition spaces of museums and cultural centres, as well as other exhibition spaces, will be opened to a small number of customers in a way that visitors can maintain a safe distance of at least two meters from other visitors as of 1 June 2021.

Up to 10 people are permitted in one space at a time and a maximum of 50 people will be permitted in a museum at a time.