Locked Down in Finland. A Covid Story.

Covid - 19 Lockdown.

Finland.
Photography & text by Adam Monaghan.

It would be obtuse to suggest that Finland had a ‘good Covid’: people died, thousands lost their jobs, business went bust and the government, like all governments, slipped into debt. However, in comparison with much of the world, Finland coped well. Unlike the United Kingdom, Sanna Marin’s government largely made many wise decisions. There was the odd misstep or contradiction in policies, but certainly nothing like Boris Johnson’s disgraceful tenure or Donald Trump’s idiotic suggestions. We had many recommendations and restrictions, but they were slight compared with Italy or Spain. At one stage, to contain infections, there was a limitation of movement from the capital region outward, but it was short lived, as infections elsewhere quickly caught up. But most non-emergency operations still went ahead, transport services carried on, restaurants quickly switched to being take-aways, museums moved to online exhibitions. And thousands migrated to working from home, with only relatively limited teething problems. 

Photo top:
On the Tram, Helsinki. 

Photo above:
The New Normal. Kamppi Shopping Centre Helsinki.

Photo above right:

Orwellian signs: Freedom is Feeling Safe, Fredrikinkatu, Helsinki.

Photo below:
When Takeaways Ruled the World, Helsinki.

Of course, Finland is a sparsely populated country and it is often the Finns natural inclination to maintain their distance - even prior to Covid. (There are plenty of memes of things such as bus stop queues - with two metres distance between people not changing with the arrival of Covid.) Similarly, although masks were never mandatory, a largely obedient population took to wearing them; some more begrudgingly than others, but most wore them nonetheless. Following the world-wide pattern, those already in more affluent positions inevitably fared better. And this could potentially be another reason Finland did not have such a catastrophic time; there is no doubting that the extreme rich/poor divide seen in the UK and US is significantly less evident here. For the burgeoning middle classes, typically living in bigger, less cramped properties and/or working in non-service industries, the immediate impact was understandably less troubling. It will be interesting to return to the longer-term statistics to see if a population which often already preferred less contact, fared better with its mental health too. Did a generation of children or elderly people in Finland come out less traumatised than in Italy? Perhaps time will tell.

Photo above:
Crossing the street, Mannerheimintie Helsinki.

Photo below:
Merry Crisis, Myyrmäki Vantaa.

As a photographer, like all photographers everywhere, there was a sense that it needed to be recorded. This was truly a worldwide, hopefully once in lifetime, event. One tried to balance the drive to do so, with the ra-tionalising of an unknown illness, especially in the early months. Likewise, one quickly saw the repetition of photographs of empty streets and one tried to think around what else one could shoot to not simply follow that increasingly well-worn path. I have always been drawn to text in images, particularly signage and especially home-made signs. Inevitably, Covid served up a multitude of signage, from industrially made advertising/information campaigns to hand made notices and graffiti. And, like everywhere, Finland had its doubters and there was - and still is - a wealth of conspiracy theory graffiti and stickering.

Photos above:
Please Keep Distance, Kamppi Shopping Centre, Helsinki.
Photo above right:
Covid is a Scam, Hakaniemi, Helsinki

Thanks for reading.