Sanna Marin, Finland’s Prime Minister, has apologized for going clubbing after being in close proximity to a Covid-19 case.
Sanna Marin went out on Saturday night in Helsinki, only hours after her foreign minister tested positive for the drug. She was assured she didn’t need to isolate because she was completely vaccinated, but she later missed a text telling her she should.
Critics questioned her decision not to isolate until the test came back negative. The text message, which instructed her to avoid social interaction, was sent to her work phone, which she had left at home, according to the Social Democratic prime minister, 36.
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She obtained a Covid test as soon as she saw the text on Sunday, and the result was negative.
Ms Marin first justified her conduct, claiming that she had acted on the advice of her secretary of state, who had told her about the Covid scandal. Ms Marin, though, claimed in a Facebook post on Monday that she should have double-checked the instructions and used greater judgment.
“I apologize for not realizing that I had to do that,” she added. Anyone who has been double-jabbed in Finland is not need to isolate if they come into contact with a positive case, according to Covid standards.
However, the guidelines advise people to avoid social contact willingly while waiting for a Covid test.
According to Finland’s Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, separate guidelines for government ministers and staff urge avoiding social contact soon after exposure.
Ms Marin has faced criticism since a gossip magazine published photos of the prime minister attending a Helsinki nightclub with friends on Saturday.
The Seiska magazine said it spoke to witnesses who saw her dancing at the Butchers club, where she stayed until 04:00.
Opposition politicians suggested Ms Marin should have set a good example by isolating voluntarily instead of going clubbing. Mia Laiho, an MP for the National Coalition Party, said Ms Marin had been “irresponsible”.
Ms Marin became the world’s youngest prime minister when she elected to lead a centre-left coalition with four other parties in 2019.
Finland has fared better than most of its European allies during the Covid pandemic, recording about 196,000 cases and 1,384 deaths.
But since September, infections have been creeping ever higher, with increases of more than 1,000 a day for weeks.
The country has also recorded eight cases of the new Omicron variant, which experts fear may be more transmissible and evade some immunity to Covid.