Coronavirus infections found in 18 daycare centres in Helsinki

Twenty-four cases of coronavirus infection have been diagnosed among the personnel of 18 different municipal day-care centres until Tuesday, said The City of Helsinki in a press release.

Two children attending the centres have also contracted COVID-19.

In cooperation with Finland’s health authorities, the city’s early childhood education staff has made a thorough assessment of the situation and taken all the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.

Some of those who had contracted the disease have already recovered.

There are 336 municipal day-care centres operating in Helsinki serving some 27,000 children.

“The day-care centres in which coronavirus cases have been diagnosed are located in different areas of Helsinki. We have advised the caregivers to be on the lookout for possible symptoms and contact healthcare professionals at the first sign of coronavirus-related symptoms. Our current understanding is that the infections among the staff of the municipal day-care centres have mainly originated from outside,” said Liisa Pohjolainen, head of Helsinki City’s Education Division.

Approximately 20 per cent of the children registered as customers of Helsinki day-care centres are currently using the service.

“We are monitoring changes in the participation rates on a daily basis. Parents and guardians have done a great job following the official recommendation to care for their children at home, if possible. Day-care centre operations have been altered to keep contact between the groups at a minimum when the children are playing or dressing to go outside, for example. All of the day-care centre groups are smaller than normal,” said Satu Järvenkallas, head of the city’s Early Childhood Education Unit.