Coronavirus (COVID-19): information for visitors (updated 17 April at 1 pm)

You can find updated information related to the coronavirus and travelling in Espoo and Finland on the website of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare: https://thl.fi/en/web/infectious-diseases/what-s-new/coronavirus-covid-19-latest-updates

More information in English can be found on the website of the World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Health-related information for visitors (updated 17 March at 9 am)

If a visitor experiences symptoms of sudden respiratory infection such as fever, cough and shortness of breath, and/or has reason to suspect exposure to the coronavirus, medical advice should be sought without delay.

Visitors are advised to first contact call the Medical Helpline number, 116 117.

Health-related information for people in Espoo (updated 16 March at 3 pm)

https://www.espoo.fi/en-US/Coronavirus_advice_for_Espoo_residents(174305)

If you suspect you have been infected with the coronavirus, stay at home. If your symptoms are serious, ask for guidance by telephone. Health stations can only be visited with an appointment. Your symptoms will always be first assessed by telephone.

• If you have mild respiratory symptoms, such as a head cold, cough, sore throat, muscle pains or fever, stay at home and rest. There is no need to contact your local health station. Remain at home until the symptoms have passed. Instructions for home care of the coronavirus (In Finnish - National Institute for Health and Welfare)
• If you experience severe symptoms, such as difficulty in breathing, or if your overall condition deteriorates, call your health station or make an appointment for a video consultation.

Espoo health station coronavirus helpline, tel. +358 9 816 34600 Mon–Fri 7 am–6 pm. After 6 pm on weekdays and on weekends, Espoo residents can make inquiries related to the coronavirus by calling the Medical Helpline number, 116 117.

Read more about preparations for the coronavirus in Espoo from the City of Espoo website. https://www.espoo.fi/en-US/Espoo_is_prepared_for_the_coronavirus(178348)

Events and services in Espoo (updated 17 March 9:30 am)

Public meetings are limited to ten persons and it is recommended to avoid spending time unnecessarily in public places.

On Monday 16 March, the government of Finland decided on exceptional restrictive measures affecting the daily lives of everyone in Finland to curb the spread of the coronavirus epidemic.

The decision leads to the temporary closure of state and municipal museums, theatres, the Finnish National Opera, cultural centres, libraries, the mobile library, the customer and research services of the Finnish National Archive, hobby facilities and venues, swimming pools and other sports and exercise facilities, youth facilities, club facilities, meeting facilities of organisations, elderly day activities, work rehabilitation activities and work centres. The government recommends that private and tertiary sector actors and religious communities adopt the same measures.

In Espoo, this applies, amongst others, to all libraries, cultural centres, the WeeGee Exhibition Centre and all other cultural facilities. They are closed from 17 March. The events and cultural services of the city of Espoo and the Tapiola Sinfonietta city orchestra are planning live streaming of events in late spring.

In addition, the activities of the private and tertiary sector in the city follow the government’s orientations and provide information on the state of exception on their own websites.

The visitespoo.fi event calendar is not up to date for the time being. We apologise for errors resulting from this in our event calendar. The current event information for public events should be checked from their own websites.

The opening hours of the service providers on the visitespoo.fi website are not up to date. We recommend checking opening hours from each service provider’s own website.

Visit Espoo has cancelled all its own events until further notice to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. All stakeholder events organised by Visit Espoo will be held via Skype or Teams, or will be postponed to a later date.

Getting around in Espoo (updated 17 April)

The Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) urges the public to avoid unnecessary travel so that those who need to travel can travel safely. At peak times in particular (Mon–Fri approx. 7 am–9 am and 3 pm–6 pm) there are larger numbers of passengers, and HSL recommends travelling at other times if possible.

Public transport is operating in the Helsinki region but services are reduced. From Friday 13 March and until further notice, bus drivers do not sell tickets on buses. This measure is intended to avoid additional money handling and physical contact between drivers and passengers. HSL area buses also in Espoo will operate a reduced summer timetable from Monday 20 April.

If possible, walk or cycle instead of using public transport. In addition, HSL recommends remote working if possible and if allowed by the employer.

More information on the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority website: https://www.hsl.fi/en/news/2020/public-transport-and-coronavirus-updated-18-march-19400

Tourism information service (updated 17 April at 1 pm)

Our tourism information service is available online and by telephone. You can contact the tourism information service by phone, text message or WhatsApp. +358 (0)43 824 6866, 9 am–4 pm. The service can also be contacted by email at visit@espoo.fi or on Facebook through our Visit Espoo site.

Delivery of brochures has been discontinued until further notice.

The Leppävaara, Espoonlahti and Matinkylä service points are closed until further notice. Other service points of the City of Espoo, in Tapiola, Espoo centre and Kalajärvi, are open for the time being. However, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus we recommend that customers postpone any non-urgent business to a later date and contact us primarily by telephone. https://www.espoo.fi/en-US/City_of_Espoo/Organization_and_contact_information/Contact_information/Customer_Service