Christmas celebrated with less festivity amidst coronavirus fear

The Christmas celebration observed on Saturday across the country amidst the ongoing exceptional situation of coronavirus outbreak for the second consecutive year.

Although the government recommended avoiding gathering, people were found to celebrate the festival with their family members and dearest ones maintaining the safety measures.

Several hundreds of people, mostly tourists were seen at the Santa Claus Village at Arctic Circle in Lapland on the Christmas day to celebrate the festival.

The celebrations, however, remain limited in exchanging gifts and greeting cards, preparing traditional foods, visiting family members and friends and spending holidays in the cottages and other accommodation facilities wearing face mask and maintaining safe distance.

All the government, semi-government and private offices including bank remained closed from Friday to Sunday and resume on Monday.

Many markets and shopping malls remained open for limited hours in separate schedules during the holidays while most of the business centers remained closed.

The business organisations decide their own opening hours as retail opening hours have been de-regulated during the recent years.

The weather condition was moderate in most of the parts of the country while driving conditions were poor in western and southwestern Finland whole the Christmas day.