This morning, Finnish Presidency announced that former president Martti Ahtisaari, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008, has tested positive for the coronavirus.
"The infection was confirmed yesterday and President Ahtisaari is in good condition," the office said in a statement.
Ahtisaari, 82, ruled Finland from 1994 to 2000 and afterward, he became a United Nations special envoy for Kosovo, charged with organizing the Kosovo status process negotiations, aimed at resolving a long-running dispute in Kosovo, which later declared its independence from Serbia in 2008.
In October 2008, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts". The Nobel statement said that Ahtisaari has played a prominent role in resolving serious and long-lasting conflicts, including ones in Namibia, Aceh (Indonesia), Kosovo, and Iraq.
Finland has so far reported 700 cases and one death for coronavirus. According to analysts at Pellervo Economic Research PTT, the extent of the impact of the crisis will depend on how quickly recovery can start.
PTT is forecasting a 3-6 percent decline in the Finnish economy this year, but if the virus crisis is drawn out, the effects could be even greater and the downturn could last well into 2021.
"The magnitude and duration (of the economic impact) depends on the spread of the virus and how well it is brought under control. The longer stringent measures have to continue, the greater the economic losses, " PTT's Head of Forecasting Janne Huovari pointed out.
Huovari considers the biggest risk to be a banking sector crisis brought on by contraction of the real economy and a sharp fall in financial markets. Many companies have seen their income streams dry up and are unable, in the short term to meet their obligations.
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