HELSINKI, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Sunday underlined the urgency of launching domestic production of protective gears and testing tools against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Responding to media questions on the national radio Yle, Marin noted the obstacle that, even if produced, the certification and approval of such products are not possible in Finland at this time and need to be solved. She added that international markets are precarious and may also close again.

The prime minister reconfirmed the cabinet's intention to move the focus more towards testing and isolation of the infected, noting that increased domestic production is important for the decision making.

Asked about the opening of the EU-internal borders, Marin said that coordination from the EU level would be necessary "so that each country would not act on its own schedule."

Marin said she has discussed the issue with the prime minsters of Estonia and Sweden. Currently, Finland only admits returning citizens and very essential workers.

The Finnish government is to discuss the opening of schools in the coming week, and other COVID-19 restriction measures in early May. In the past week, the government ruled that events with more than 500 participants would remain banned until the end of July at least.

As of Sunday afternoon, Finland has confirmed 4,576 cases, among which 101 are new cases. The death toll has risen to 190, according to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. Enditem

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