In accordance with the alignment of the COVID-19 coordination group of Southwest Finland on Friday 4 June, the city of Turku has transitioned from the most severe, community transmission phase of the COVID-19 epidemic, to the lower level, i.e. the acceleration phase.

LATEST INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS

Up-to-date information on Turku’s covid-19 situation in summer and vaccination progress is available on our websites: 

In the city of Turku, the alignment means the relaxing of restrictions in the city's various functions.
 
Transition to the acceleration phase means that the limits for maximum number of people in events will be removed. Public events and public meetings are obligated to be organised in such a way, that people can effectively avoid close contact with each other.

Several preventive measures taken in the city of Turku, have helped to overcome the extremely difficult epidemic phase of March and April, and now the restrictions can be relaxed. In Turku, the COVID-19 epidemic has calmed down even further this week.

- The COVID-19 pandemic is calming down in Turku, but restrictions remain on opening services. The responsibility will increasingly be passed on to each of us. Let's not forget social distancing, masks, and good hygiene, reminds Jutta Peltoniemi, Chief Physician for Infectious Diseases in Turku.

The City of Turku will continue to ensure that the city's services are health secure. The development of visitor count is monitored and, if necessary, restricted or mitigated. Visitors are provided with instructions on safety distances and hygiene, in both dressing boots and museums, as well as, for camp residents, for example, in more detail, by letters of instructions.

The city of Turku would like to remind that, even though the situation in the city, region, and the whole country is improving, the global COVID-19 situation is still weak, even in many neighbouring countries.

Finland restricts entry from almost all countries. The restrictions on entry are valid until 27 June 2021. A global recommendation on travel is to avoid unnecessary travel.

- You can still travel abroad only for essential reasons. In other words, this summer, let’s favour local travel in Finland and in our beautiful home city, says Jutta Peltoniemi.

Relaxing restrictions affect Turku's services in the following ways:

Sports services

In Turku, restrictions on the number of people are removed from both indoor and outdoor sports facilities from Monday 7 June. Customers must ensure that safety distances are maintained indoors, in dressing rooms, and saunas. 
 
City of Turku indoor sports facilities from 7 June

  • Indoors, over 20-year-olds can compete without contact. Safety distances must be considered.
  • Restrictions on the number of persons are removed from the activities of over 20-year-olds. Sports Services sends recommendations on the number of people in sports facilities to those who have reserved a shift.
  • Indoors, over 15-year-olds still have to use masks, except during the exercise, and maintain safety distances. 

City of Turku outdoor sports facilities from 7 June

  • People over 20 years of age are also allowed to engage in matches and competitions, as well as close contacts on outdoor sports facilities.
  • Outdoor fields’ dressing rooms are opened. Safety distances must be considered.  
  • Restrictions on the number of persons are removed from independent sports on outdoor fields.

City of Turku swimming facilities from 7 June 

  • In the Impivaara swimming hall, as well as in Kupittaa and Samppalinna outdoor swimming arenas, the number of visitors is still restricted, and the staff monitors the number of visitors. The visiting duration limit remains in two hours. 
  • The saunas in the Impivaara swimming hall and in the Samppalinna outdoor swimming arena will be opened. Safety distances must be followed in the saunas. 
  • The number of participants in aqua aerobics at the outdoor swimming pools will be increased. For Kupittaa outdoor swimming arena, the limit for aqua aerobics is 50 customers at a time, and for Samppalinna, 20 customers at a time. Aqua aerobics continue to require registering in advance.

Library services

Reserved services (digitisation, microfilm reading, playing room) will be available and the reserved facilities will be introduced as of 7 June. From 1 July onwards, the personal use of local libraries will be possible on weekdays during summer hours (Mon-Fri) at 7–19. The summer events of the library are implemented as agreed online or face-to-face, considering COVID-19 restrictions.

Youth services

From 7 June, youth camp sites will be rented to groups of up to 50 people. Summer camps are also organised. Detailed instructions concerning COVID-19 will be delivered to arrivals of the camp, in accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of Education and Culture.

Turku Philharmonic Orchestra

The spring season of the orchestra has ended. In August, the orchestra will move on foot in small group configurations around the city, and on the Baltic Sea Day on 26 August, the orchestra will present a Nature Symphony. There is free access to the events in August, and the details are updated at tfo.fi/en.

Föli

There is still an obligation to wear a face mask on the regional public transport buses of Föli.

Graduation day precautions remain, adult education centres return to contact teaching

The previously issued guidelines for the spring and graduation celebrations remain valid. Day care and educational institutions spring celebrations, as well as graduation parties can be arranged with smaller groups and only for a limited number of children and young people, if it is possible to maintain safety distances.

The summer courses of the Turku Adult Education Centre and Åbo Svenska ArbetarInstitute will return to contact teaching. For more information on summer courses and how to register for them, visit the website of the Turku Adult Education Centre at opistopalvelut.fi/turku and the website of the Åbo Svenska ArbetarInstitute at aboarbis.fi.

A part of the day care centres are closed during the summer, but early childhood education and care is available in other day care centres with your own day care centre staff.

-In early childhood education and care, the summer has been planned so that children's stay in a day care centre can be implemented avoiding close contacts, as far as possible in view of the special features of the activity, explains Vesa Kulmala, Service Area Director of Early Childhood Education.

Clubs and playgrounds are open in June. Open day care activities will begin in August. Guardians are informed about summertime services by day care centre.

A comprehensive list of summer opening hours can be found on the website of the education and teaching service entity.