All 35 residents of the Mainiokoti Larin Kyösti care home in Hämeenlinna were quarantined after a fellow resident tested positive for Covid-19, according to local health officials.
Both staff and residents of the elder care facility will undergo coronavirus tests on Tuesday, and visits to the care home are currently prohibited.
Sally Järvelä, Chief Medical Officer of the Kanta-Häme Hospital District, said in a statement that the incident was the first coronavirus exposure at a residential facility in the region and that the patient was the first to be treated for Covid at Kanta-Häme Central Hospital since May.
"It is clear that the situation is serious for both the patient and the elderly who may have been exposed to the infection," Järvelä wrote.
The infected patient attended a service at Hämeenlinna Church which began at 10am on Sunday morning. Järvelä urged others who attended the service to seek coronavirus tests.
Situation in the city "worsening rapidly"
The incident is the latest in a series of mass exposures to impact the city over the past week, with 250 local residents currently in quarantine.
"The second wave could be said to have landed in Kanta-Häme," Järvelä noted, adding that 11 new confirmed cases have been reported in the region over the last seven days.
Hämeenlinna Lyceum High School switched to distance learning for two weeks due to an infection and exposure incident over the weekend. The exposure was related to an infection involving members of Hämeenlinna’s HPK youth ice hockey team, who are also currently in quarantine.
Additionally, a pupil at the Ruununmylly school was confirmed to have become infected with the virus.
Speaking to Yle on Tuesday afternoon, Järvelä called on the region's residents to heed coronavirus guidance from health authorities.
"Everyone in the region should now pay special attention to hand hygiene and keeping safe distances from other people. If it is not possible to keep a safe distance, it is recommended to use a face mask. You should apply for testing if you experience respiratory or other coronavirus infection symptoms, such as fever, loss of smell or taste, and diarrhoea," Järvelä said.
She adds that while patients are waiting for a test result, they should ensure that no other people are exposed in any way, and recommended that people in the region to install the Koronavilkku mobile phone app.