CORONAVIRUS
Covid-19: Denmark declares end to the pandemic
The Danish government is to lift all covid restrictions on 1 February, on the basis of high vaccination levels and the less serious nature of Omicron.
Denmark is set to lift all coronavirus restrictions in the country from 1 February despite record numbers of cases driven by the Omicron variant, with the government stating that the high percentage of vaccinated people and the less severe nature of the new strain has rendered continued curbs on society redundant.
According to the Danish administration of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Covid-19 is no longer a “critical” illness for society, and as such rules including the obligatory use of face masks in public places and restrictions on social and cultural life will be lifted permanently, with nightclubs also set to reopen.
Danish PM: "We are ready to step out of the shadow of coronavirus"
“It may seem strange and paradoxical to eliminate restrictions with the current case numbers, but we have to focus on more data, one of the most important of which is the number of serious cases of illness and that curve has been broken,” Frederiksen said in a press conference. “We are ready to step out of the shadow of coronavirus, we are saying goodbye to restrictions and welcoming back the life we had before. The pandemic goes on, but we are through the critical phase.”
Restrictions on entry into Denmark will remain in place, Frederiksen added, with non-vaccinated travellers required to provide proof of a negative covid-19 test and to observe quarantine on arrival.
Denmark expects the high number of cases being caused by the Omicron wave to continue for a few weeks, but believes that at this stage imposing restrictions on society is a disproportionate response. Frederiksen spoke of three phases in the country: the first, which will last through the spring, will include recommendations for protecting at-risk groups, such as the use of face masks in care homes, as well as unvaccinated visitors to Norway being obliged to take a covid test and isolate. The second phase, up to autumn, will be one of observation leading into the third, in which Frederiksen said it is ”very possible” that part or all of the population will be required to get vaccinated again.