HELSINKI, March 25. /TASS/. The number of coronavirus infections in Finland has risen to 880, an increase of 88 cases in the past 24 hours, the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare said Wednesday.
"Finland currently has identified 880 infections," the statement reads.
On March 24, 792 cases were reported, while the country recorded its first coronavirus-related death on March 21 — an elderly man. On Wednesday, two more people died from the disease caused by the virus.
Finland has shut down its borders between March 19 and April 13 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Schools and universities are now employing distance learning, while preschools are still open, although parents are advised to leave their children home if possible. Moreover, gatherings of over 10 people are banned.
In late December 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus — named COVID-19 by the WHO — have been reported in more than 150 countries.
On March 11, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. As of now, over 410,000 people have been infected around the world and more than 18,000 have died.