Municipal election officials will not be vaccinated against coronavirus before polling day on 18 April, according to a report (link in Finnish) in the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP’s) newspaper Demokraatti.
Tuija Kumpulainen, Head of Department at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, confirmed to the paper that authorities will adhere to the existing vaccination schedule, which prioritises healthcare workers as well as elderly and at-risk groups.
This means that working at a polling station on election day is not a sufficient reason to receive the vaccination.
Arto Jääskeläinen, Director of Elections at the Ministry of Justice, told Demokraatti last week that the vaccination of officials ahead of polling day was being considered to protect members of the public as well as election officials.
"But there are other sides to the issue, and making changes to the vaccination schedule is no small matter," Jääskeläinen said. "I understand the difficulties that lie ahead if the vaccination schedule is changed for some groups."