Boris Johnson isn’t the only political leader coming under fire for partying. Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, has recently apologised for going clubbing when she supposed to be isolating.
In a near Shakespearian muddle, last Saturday, Marin – who at 36, is the youngest prime minister in the world – was alerted that her foreign minister, Pekka Haavisto, had tested positive with Covid. However, since she’s fully vaccinated and had only been briefly in contact with Haavisto at some distance, she was told that she would not have to isolate.
She headed to The Butchers nightclub in Helsinki where she remained until four in the morning.
But, exercising the famous Scandinavian work-life balance, Marin left her work mobile at home only for it to be sent a text telling her that she should indeed isolate. Marin was blissfully unaware and danced the night away, possibly to Lady Gaga’s 2010 hit “Telephone” which features lyrics such as “Call all you want, but there’s no one home/And you’re not gonna reach my telephone”. Or possibly not.
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To be fair to Marin, she was not absolutely required to isolate. Finnish guidelines suggest avoiding large social gatherings and to get tested as soon as possible. But as Prime Minister, she must set an example for her fellow Finns, or comrades as she sometimes calls them— at least according to Mia Laiho, a lawmaker with the opposition National Coalition Party. Laiho said: “Of course [the Prime Minster’s behaviour] hasn’t been smart — it’s been irresponsible”.
Marin initially tried to defend her decision to go out saying no rules had been broken but then, on Monday she posted an apology on Facebook stating that “I should have used better judgment and also checked the instructions I received. I am sorry that I did not understand this.”
Britons continue to live in hope.
