On 16 March, the Finnish Government, jointly with the President, declares state of emergency due to COVID-19[27]. 272 laboratory-confirmed cases caused by COVID-19 had been diagnosed in Finland by 16 March 2020 at 14:00[28]. The head of THL Markku Tervahauta told MTV3 that the actual number of COVID-19 cases might be 20—30 times higher than what has been confirmed by testing, due to the fact that testing was limited to risk groups, the severely ill, and healthcare workers[29].