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The Finnish government is setting up a coordination group and allocating an initial 8.9 million euros (9.79 million U.S. dollars) for the control of the novel coronavirus, government officials told a press conference Thursday.
The group will consist of officials from the relevant ministries and experts from the National Institute for Health and Welfare.
In addition to the initial fund, the government is prepared to cover any additional costs generated by the novel coronavirus through the supplementary budget procedure if necessary, according to a press release issued by the government on Thursday.
"We are able to raise our preparedness when the situation so requires. On the whole, Finland is well prepared," Prime Minister Sanna Marin told the press conference.
Minister for Social Affairs and Health Aino-Kaisa Pekonen said that currently in Finland there is no epidemic, even though there have been confirmed cases of infection.
"The risk of infection in Finland is small. At this moment, we are focused on preventing an epidemic and limiting it nationally and also internationally," Pekonen told the press conference.
Kirsi Varhila, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, said that the stock of protective equipment was sufficient for 400,000 healthcare professionals.
The government officials tried to calm people down, saying that the public should not panic in the face of the novel coronavirus, as the seasonal flu poses more threat to most people.
Marin called for information transparency to avoid the spread of rumors.
"Rumors and false information have been flying around, so we want to stick to as open a communication policy as possible," she said, adding that it is important not to overreact to the situation.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
