Finland’s government amended its Communicable Diseases Decree late on 11 May 2026 to classify infections caused by the Andes virus as “dangerous communicable diseases”. The move grants health authorities power to impose mandatory quarantine and isolation on suspected cases entering the country. The decision follows an outbreak aboard the Dutch-flagged expedition vessel MV Hondius, which docked in Tenerife on 10 May with three fatalities reported. Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen said the risk to Finland remains low but that the decree change is a precautionary step to ensure officials can act swiftly if exposed passengers transit through Helsinki or regional airports. Under Finland’s Communicable Diseases Act, listing a pathogen as ‘dangerous’ triggers automatic obligations for carriers to report symptomatic travellers and enables airport health stations to detain travellers for testing. The update has immediate implications for cruise-season charter flights returning wildlife tourists from South America, many of which connect via Spain to Helsinki.
![Finland Adds Andes Virus to Hazardous Disease List After Cruise-Ship Outbreak]()
For travellers needing to confirm whether new health declarations or transit visas are required as a result of these changes, VisaHQ’s Finland resource page (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) offers real-time visa guidance and can expedite documentation for passengers rerouted or delayed by enhanced screening.
Travel managers should verify that medical-evac and trip-cancellation policies cover quarantine delays and advise staff to monitor health bulletins if boarding ships operating in Patagonia or Antarctica. Airlines operating to Finland must now submit advance health manifests if any passenger or crew member reports haemorrhagic fever-like symptoms. Finavia confirmed that Helsinki-Vantaa’s bio-screening lanes—installed during the COVID-19 pandemic—remain on standby and can be reactivated within four hours. Finland’s decision aligns it with Spain and the Netherlands, both of which triggered enhanced surveillance after the Hondius incident. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is expected to publish updated travel-health guidance later this week.
For travellers needing to confirm whether new health declarations or transit visas are required as a result of these changes, VisaHQ’s Finland resource page (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) offers real-time visa guidance and can expedite documentation for passengers rerouted or delayed by enhanced screening.
Travel managers should verify that medical-evac and trip-cancellation policies cover quarantine delays and advise staff to monitor health bulletins if boarding ships operating in Patagonia or Antarctica. Airlines operating to Finland must now submit advance health manifests if any passenger or crew member reports haemorrhagic fever-like symptoms. Finavia confirmed that Helsinki-Vantaa’s bio-screening lanes—installed during the COVID-19 pandemic—remain on standby and can be reactivated within four hours. Finland’s decision aligns it with Spain and the Netherlands, both of which triggered enhanced surveillance after the Hondius incident. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is expected to publish updated travel-health guidance later this week.
