In the Nordics, the first case of the coronavirus was confirmed in Lappland, Finland, at the end of January 2020, for a female tourist returning from Wuhan, China. The woman was isolated and the next confirmed case in the country was not reported until the end of February 2020. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Finland started to increase significantly by the beginning of March, and rose by 96 new cases on March 13, which was the highest number of cases in a single day so far. The country closed its borders for non-citizens and non-residents on March 18, and on that day the number of cases had reached a total of 319.
Among the Nordic countries, Norway experienced the highest number of confirmed cases of the virus. The first confirmed case in the country was recorded at the end of February 2020, but the numbers started to increase significantly by the beginning of March. The highest number of confirmed cases in a single day was registered on March 11, 2020, with 228 new confirmed cases. The country decided to close its borders as of March 16, 2020.
Denmark was the first of the Nordic countries to close its borders to non-citizens and non-residents March 14, 2020, also to prevent further spreading of the coronavirus. The first case in the country was confirmed by the end of February 2020, and the number of cases started to rise quickly in March.
Compared to its neighboring countries, Sweden has taken less drastic measures regarding the outside world to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The country is keeping borders open for other members of the European Union. The first case of the coronavirus in the country was confirmed in late January 2020, with no significant spikes recorded until the end of February. As in the other Nordic countries, case numbers grew rapidly as March arrived.
