HELSINKI, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) on Wednesday toned down the COVID-19 restrictive recommendations to seniors.

At the start of the pandemic, Finland issued a recommendation for seniors aged over 70 to stay inside as much as possible and avoid all contact with other people. As the pandemic situation is getting better, THL said the restrictive recommendations could be eased now.

However, the THL still warned seniors against trusting the personal feeling of "being in good condition."

Minna-Liisa Luoma, head of the unit of Ageing, Disability and Functioning at THL, told a government press conference, that "age as such" worsens the person's immunity level, irrespective of the personal feeling of health.

"Good personal physical strength does not mean a strong immune defense ability," Luoma said, explaining that a person actually cannot feel the strength of his or her immunity.

Speaking at the press conference, Minister for Family Affairs and Social Services Krista Kiuru said that the "pandemic is not over," and seniors should use "common sense."

The minister praised the high acceptance level of the recommendations among the seniors, adding that it contributed in easing Finnish health care situation at the time when a "blitz epidemic" was feared this spring.

According to Statistics Finland, the country has 875,000 people aged over 70, out of the current population of 5.5 million. Enditem

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