Warnings over Christmas travel from doctors
Senior doctors are warning of the dangers of Christmas travel around the country, because of the risk of spreading coronavirus. Quoted in a number of Finnish media outlets, the Chief Physician of Vaasa Hospital District Peter Nieminen says it’s clear when people move, so does the disease; while the Chief Medical Officer from Central Finland Hospital District Juha Paloneva echoes warnings about the potential for seasonal spread of Covid-19; and the Deputy Chief of Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District Eeva Ruotsalainen is urging people to avoid unnecessary travel this holiday period. “It is human that people want to meet their relatives at Christmas, because it is a family celebration” says Ruotsalainen. “But now it is important to understand that it is also human to protect your loved ones and yourself from infection.”
Finnair reports stronger cargo numbers, continued weak passenger numbers
Finland’s national airline Finnair is reporting stronger cargo numbers in November, but continued weak numbers of passengers as the second wave of coronavirus impacts international air travel. During November Finnair carried 85,000 passengers on its route network which is 92.2% less than in November 2019. That number is also a drop of 15.6% from the previous month. With no scheduled flights during November for North Atlantic destinations, those routes were hit particularly hard. There are some positive indicators in the latest figures released Tuesday morning which show that revenue for cargo decreased less than anticipated year-on-year as cargo-only flights operating between Europe and Asia, as well as Europe and North America enjoyed stronger demand.
Flags are flying for Sibelius on Finnish Music Day
If you’re wondering why the flags are flying, it’s in celebration of Finnish Music Day which is commemorated on 8th December the birthday of famed Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The composer, who was born in 1865 and died in 1957, was a prolific composer who often took inspiration from Finland’s Kalevala folklore and mythology to score some of his most famous works. This year the National Library is celebrating the day with an announcement that it’s acquired more than 1,200 pages of Sibelius’ manuscripts and notes from a collection in Germany. “Sibelius’s manuscripts attract researchers and musicians from all over the world to the National Library, they are an inexhaustible source of research information and inspiration, says Professor Timo Virtanen from the National Library.
Tuesday morning weather
It’s a much colder start to the morning than we’ve seen recently, with almost the entire country starting the day with temperatures below freezing. Temperatures range from -9°C in northeast Lapland to -5°C in Oulu, zero degrees for Vaasa, -4°C for Central Finland, -8°C down the eastern border and hovering around zero too for the capital city region. The colder temperatures are caused by a large system of high pressure over Russia which bring clear skies and sunshine.
