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Finland's PM Sanna Marin goes clubbing till 4 am, misses text telling her to quarantine

Sanna Marin, Finland's PM, forgot to carry her phone and missed the text asking her to quarantine after the Foreign Minister tested positive for Covid

The 36-year-old Finland Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, the head of the Finnish government, was seen partying in the city of Helsinki on Saturday, December 4. However, she went to the club without taking her work phone with herself and missed the text that asked her to quarantine. She was asked to do so because the Foreign Minister of Finland, Pekka Haavisto, had tested positive for coronavirus a few hours ago. 

She did not see the message until Sunday morning at which point she was tested. Fortunately, she got a negative result. Later, in a Facebook post, she explained the situation and apologized in Finnish. She wrote, "On Saturday evening my secretary of state called me on the parliament's work phone and told me about the corona infection by Minister Pekka Haavisto. At the same time, he said that there will be no special measures on the matter and no matters will be quarantined because everyone has two vaccines and full vaccine protection. I did not question the information I received because THL has given similar instructions to the citizens. If you have received two vaccines, those who were exposed are not scheduled for a test or quarantine. So on Saturday, I have understood that the work of the members of the government council will continue normally unless the health authority is contrary to the instructions."

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Finishing her apology post, she wrote, "I should have used better judgment on Saturday night and checked the instructions I got a second time. I'm really sorry that I didn't understand how to do this." 

Twitter users have already started reacting to the news. One user wrote, "It must be added that PM Marin also neglected her duty to carry the office mobile phone while nightclubbing. This is serious and absolutely unforgivable." Another user wrote, "The guidance to avoid contacts (as she might have been exposed to Covid at the cabinet meetings) therefore did not reach her, as that was text messaged to her cabinet phone which she intentionally left at her residence, fearing that she might lose it. Just a lapse in judgment?" Criticizing the actions of the Prime Minister, another user wrote, "If you are PM, you just cant go to the bar and get drunk after being exposed to Covid. But in Finland this party princess has a lot of fans, so she won't resign. Sad but true." 

Further, another user wrote, "That is true and confirmed by her. The excuse seems to be "there is no rule that tells you not to do so / I was not informed not to do so" or whatever. Oh, and sometimes of course "I did not get the message" while on other media it was a call and sms on others." 

Slamming her, people have said that elites think and behave as if the virus is finished. Users also wrote that the rules are only for the commoners and ministers seldom abide by them.