Finnish Prime Minister apologises for clubbing despite Covid exposure

Finland’s prime minister has apologised for clubbing despite being exposed to Covid-19.

Sanna Marin came under widespread criticism after a Finnish gossip magazine published photos of her dancing at a Helsinki nightclub until 4AM last week (Saturday, 4th December). It happened only hours after it was reported that she was in contact with Finnish foreign minister, Pekka Haavisto, who had tested positive for the virus.

“My husband and I had been out to eat, been shopping in town, seen friends and also spent time [enjoying] the evening and nightlife,” Marin wrote in a Facebook post. “I should have used better judgment and double-checked the guidance given to me. I am very sorry for not understanding that I needed to do that.”

Marin originally said that she was informed by a government official that regulations did not require her to isolate following the exposure. She later claimed she had missed a text that advised her to do so. The double-vaccinated Social Democratic Prime Minister took a Covid-19 test on Sunday, 5th December. The result came back negative.

Back in 2019, Marin, 36, became the world’s youngest serving prime minister. She also became the Nordic country’s youngest ever head of government.

COVID-19 infections are increasing in Finland. Over the last 7 days, there have been 169 infections per 100K people, or 1,338 new infections reported on average each day.