Policy on using the COVID passport in events organised by organisations operating under HYY
The COVID passport is a certificate of an individual having either received a negative test result from a recent coronavirus test, having recovered from the coronavirus or having received a full series of vaccinations. In Finland, the EU’s COVID certificate serves as the COVID passport. The certificate may be downloaded from My Kanta or acquired in printed form from health care providers. The COVID passport contains a QR code, which is read using a separate app or a reader. The code shows whether the passport is valid. Organisations may thus require participants to show a valid COVID passport upon entry in order to participate in their events.
Organisations operating under HYY are independent operators who can decide for themselves who can participate in their events and who cannot. The Student Union cannot obligate them to use the COVID passport, but we do recommend that organisations start using it for the sake of general health safety.
In Finland, the COVID passport serves as an alternative to coronavirus restrictions. Operators that are subject to restrictions, such as
- restaurants,
- indoor sports facilities,
- exhibition premises and other similar premises,
may choose to start using the COVID passport and thus avoid the restrictions that are in place because of the coronavirus, such as restrictions on
- the use of the premises,
- serving alcohol and
- the number of people allowed in the premises.
The COVID passport can only be used when the area in question has coronavirus restrictions in effect. Furthermore, the passport cannot be used when the premises have been entirely closed because of a serious coronavirus situation.
Currently, there are no restrictions on the number of people in public events in effect in Finland, nor are there restrictions on the use of premises set by the Regional State Administrative Agencies. These are the kinds of restrictions that could be avoided by requiring participants to show a COVID passport. The Student Union of the University of Helsinki does not have any restrictions in effect concerning the organisational premises it provides either.
We are aware that there are problems associated with using the COVID passport. It is technically possible to check the COVID passports using a regular smartphone, but this requires checking the passports of all participants. This, in turn, may require additional resources for access control and that the individuals conducting access control have functional smartphones and an Internet connection. In general, requiring COVID passports can be considered at least legal from the perspective of equality, as its use in Finland has been approved at state level. However, certain problematic issues related to equality still exist, and you should take them into account if your organisation decides to start using the COVID passport. The following are among the questions to consider from the perspective of equality:
- What if someone is not able to take two vaccinations for health reasons?
- What if someone cannot receive the EU’s COVID certificate because they are not a citizen of an EU member country?
- What if there are problems with using the COVID passport app or downloading the COVID passport from My Kanta?
You can use the questions above to help you when considering whether to start using the COVID passport. However, we would like to emphasise that HYY recommends but does not in any way require the use of the COVID passport.
Further information on the COVID passport: https://stm.fi/en/the-covid-19-passport
Further information on the COVID certificate reader app: https://thl.fi/en/web/thlfi-en/-/covid-certificate-reader-app-now-available-in-app-stores-for-use-by-operators-and-event-organisers
Further information on the restrictions set by the Regional State Administrative Agencies: https://avi.fi/en/faq-corona
Further information:
Janne Salokoski
Member of the Board (organisations, equality (organisations), new students)
050 543 9610
Jaakko Kalske
Specialist in organisations
050 537 3798
