Helsinki harbours to be equipped with coronavirus test points on 27 January

The terminals of West Harbour, Katajanokka and Vuosaari have received new coronavirus test points on Wednesday, 27 January. The terminals also offer enhanced coronavirus advice. Targeted testing continues on the ships.

Testing and advice is available to all passengers arriving to Helsinki by sea. As of Wednesday, only essential work travel to Finland will be permitted.

As of 27 January, passengers arriving to Finland and Helsinki will need to present a certificate of a Covid-19 infection that has taken place within the last six months, a negative test result (the test must be at most 72 hours old) or a coronavirus test appointment booked in the Finentry web service.

A voluntary 14-day quarantine is recommended to all passengers arriving in Finland from countries where the coronavirus incidence exceeds 25 per 100,000 people measured over two weeks.

The voluntary quarantine can be shortened by taking two tests. Passengers without any of the certificates mentioned above will be guided to take their first coronavirus test in the harbour. The second test can be taken at the earliest 72 hours after the first one.

If the passenger does not take their first coronavirus test in the harbour, they must seek out testing in Finland at their place of stay or residence within a day from their arrival in the country.   

The passenger must continue the voluntary quarantine until both test results are ready and have been proven negative.

“We want to prevent the virus from spreading through ship traffic arriving in Finland and Helsinki. Testing and advice carried out in the passenger harbours are an important part of the capital’s health security during the coronavirus epidemic,” says Leena Turpeinen, head of health and substance abuse services. 

“The new practice may cause some queueing in the harbours even with reduced passenger numbers. I believe that the passengers will understand the importance of testing and advice,” Turpeinen says.

Helsinki is also assessing the possibility of arranging drive-in test points at the harbour car lanes.

The new operating model of the harbours has been planned together with the Port of Helsinki, the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Finnish Customs, the Finnish Border Guard and the sipping companies. 

Further information on the travel restrictions can be found at the website

of the Ministry of the Interior(Link leads to external service) and on the travel practices at the website

of the National Institute for Health and Welfare(Link leads to external service).