In February, the Finnish Interior Ministry announced that it would receive up to 175 vulnerable migrants living in refugee camps in the southern EU frontier states, including Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Italy, and pledged to prioritize those eligible for international protection.
According to the Finnish Immigration Service, as quoted by the Yle News outlet, the exact date of arrival has not been revealed yet and the authorities would soon decide where to accommodate the migrants.
"Because of the coronavirus epidemic asylum seekers will initially have to spend two weeks in quarantine in Espoo. After that, they will be placed in reception centers, especially for underaged children," Mikko Valisalo, a senior officer of Migri's reception center unit, said, as quoted by the media.
The news outlet stated that exact locations would be set throughout the placement process. Meanwhile, according to the Immigration Service, the country's reception centres are mostly ready to accept new residents.
The country's Interior Ministry said in late June that the Finnish Immigration Service would receive 12 million euros ($13.5 million) from the EU as financial support to accept new migrants. The funds are expected to cover reception costs for accommodation, immediate living needs and services for the asylum seekers.
