Friday morning's front pages are dominated by the government’s proposed new coronavirus rules that, if approved by Parliament, will mean the strictest lockdown yet for residents of five southern municipalities.
Helsingin Sanomat asks what the restrictions could mean for some small businesses in the capital, which will be able to stay open despite the lockdown rules.
"It sounds catastrophic," barber shop owner Nina Snäkä tells the paper. "We're not being ordered to close, even though customers won't be able to come."
The draft legislation presented to Parliament on Wednesday would prohibit residents of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen and Turku from using services like restaurants (with the exception of takeaway and delivery), hotels and personal services like barbers and beauty care.
Lapland cabins sell out
Elsewhere, tabloid Iltalehti reports on the rush to spend Easter in Lapland.
While the government's proposed restrictions would prohibit residents of the affected areas from travelling to rental cottages and cabins, they would be able to travel to their own. It’s thought that the rules will not be in place before Easter, however.
"Demand has been 30 to 35 percent higher than during a typical spring," Juha-Pekka Olkkola of holiday rental firm Lomarengas tells Iltalehti. His company has rented out all but 50 of its 1,000 holiday cottages over the Easter weekend.
The late rush to spend Easter in Lapland won't make up for the loss of foreign visitors, Iltalehti reports, and local tourism bosses are urging Finnish visitors to act responsibly.
"Although masks are not obligatory in Finland, they will be in use in Levi. There will be no parties organised here. This is not a hope but a direct instruction on how this will work in Levi," Visit Levi CEO Yrjötapio Kivisaari said.
Exit strategy
Oulu-based Kaleva is among the papers reporting on the progress of the government’s strategy on returning life to normal post-pandemic.
Citing information seen by local news publisher Lännen Media, Kaleva claims that an exit strategy could be on ministerial desks as soon as next week, although it could be delayed until after Easter.
The strategy, led by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, would use criteria including the progress of the vaccination programme, the rate of new infections and seasonal variations in the pandemic to take decisions on lifting restrictions, Kaleva writes.
The news follows a Ministry of Education and Culture working group proposal published on Monday, which set out a potential path to lifting restrictions on public events.
Drivers stick to winter wheels
Tampere local Aamulehti reports on the outcome of a very different piece of government legislation: the rules governing winter tyres.
This winter marks the first since new rules were introduced giving drivers the ability to judge for themselves whether or not winter tyres are necessary when driving.
However, a survey by the VTT technical research centre in February found only four out of 1,200 cars checked in Tampere, Pori, Helsinki and Espoo were running on summer tyres.
That’s the same proportion – 0.3 percent – that was found during a similar survey carried out in 2018, while the old rules were still in place, Aamulehti writes.
According to survey leader Jouko Lahti, the snowy conditions this winter could have prompted drivers to stick to the deeper treads.
"The situation could have been different had this winter been as mild and snow-free as the last one," he told the paper.