Finland will begin eliminating limits imposed to combat the spread of the omicron coronavirus strain, with the goal of removing all restrictions by the beginning of March, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Wednesday.

Heavy limitations imposed right after Christmas led numerous eateries, cultural and sporting facilities to lay off employees and cancel activities.

The administration now intends to enable eateries to stay open until midnight and eliminate limits on public gatherings beginning February 14, Marin said, adding that the goal is to remove all limitations by the beginning of next month.

According to Marin, hospitalization rates have leveled out and may possibly be declining.

She stated that the limitations must remain in place for another two weeks in order for the authorities to watch how the pandemic grows in neighboring Norway and Denmark.

“It’s just because Finland is two weeks behind other nations in terms of epidemiology,” Marin explained.

The government also intends to officially remove the COVID-19 passport, which was in use from mid-October to late December and permitted public venues to admit only persons having immunizations or a recent negative test result.

Despite high levels of infection around New Year’s, Finland is one of the nations least hit by the epidemic. To date, the nation of 5.5 million people has documented 501,152 cases, 2,012 fatalities, and 655 hospitalizations as a result of COVID-19.