Changing COVID-19 border restrictions and borderland resilience : the Finnish-Swedish border case

Abstract

<div lang="en" class="abs"><p class="abs_header">Abstract</p><p>The chapter scrutinizes the effects of COVID-19 border restrictions on the EU-internal Finnish-Swedish border area and how the restrictions have been adapted to and coped with at the local scale. Changing COVID-19 border restrictions exemplify how the responses to the COVID-19 pandemic rendered state power and territoriality visible in ways that many citizens had never experienced before. The examination of the Finnish-Swedish border shows that the continuously changing border restrictions have had considerable influence on the everyday routines and economic and social environment of borderland people, causing additional stress and confusion during the pandemic. It shows that the borderland resilience, the everyday experiences and adaptation of local border communities both merge and conflict with the state resilience strategies. The chapter concludes that the COVID-19 state of emergency may have a long-standing influence on borderlands and European solidarity more widely.</p></div>