HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finland will ease tight restrictions on entry as it tries to attract back business travellers and tourists ahead of winter, allowing arrivals from countries with higher rates of coronavirus infection including its neighbour Sweden.

Previously, Finland has barred arrivals from countries with more than 8-10 cases of coronavirus infection per 100,000 people, a threshold which excluded travellers from many European countries. The exclusion of Swedes was particularly disruptive, as the neighbours are close allies.

From Sept 19, the threshold for countries to gain unrestricted entry will rise to 25 cases per 100,000. Travellers from countries where the rate is higher will also be allowed in if they present a negative test result. They must then remain under self-quarantine, either for two weeks or until they produce a second negative test.

Finland’s incidence over the past two weeks stood at 7.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants on Thursday, among the lowest in Europe, data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control showed.

(Reporting by Anne Kauranen; Editing by Gwladys Fouche and Peter Graff)

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