Denmark extends Covid-19 restrictions as new cases in Copenhagen drop

Health minister Magnus Heunicke said on Wednesday that Denmark’s coronavirus situation is “going in the right direction” while extending current restrictions until the end of the month.

Published: 7 October 2020 17:23 CEST

Denmark extends Covid-19 restrictions as new cases in Copenhagen drop

Officials at Wednesday's briefing wore new badges promoting social distancing. Photo: Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix

At a press briefing on Wednesday, officials praised the effect of public efforts with current restrictions, while confirming they would be extended to October 31st.

Face masks must therefore still be worn at all times on public transport and when standing in cafes and restaurants. Cafes and bars must close at 10pm and no more than 50 people may assemble at any one time.

The restrictions putting into place restrictions on assembly limits, cafes and nightlife have been in place since mid-September, while stepped up face mask recommendations were announced more recently.

Daily new cases of Covid-19 have stabilised at under 400 for the last five days, after reaching towards 600 and sometimes 700 in the latter part of last month.

On Wednesday, 331 new positive tests for Covid-19 were registered by the national State Serum Institute (SSI). 116 people are currently in hospital with the virus, 8 fewer than yesterday.

The reproduction rate or R-number for Denmark is currently 0.8, have been above 1 for several weeks. If the reproduction rate is higher than 1.0, the number of infected in a society will grow. If it is slightly below, the number will decline.

Heunicke said on Wednesday that cases in Copenhagen, one of the hotspots for the September wave, were notably on the way down.

“The trend is clear. There is a decrease in our capital,” he said according to DR.

Copenhagen Municipality has seen its rate of infections drop from 127 infections per 100,000 residents to 63 infections per 100,000 residents over the last week, the broadcaster reports.

Neighbouring Frederiksberg Municipality has seen a similar improvement, from 144 infections per 100,000 residents to 36 infections per 100,000 residents.

Authorities stressed the need to keep that trend steady and have therefore decided to keep the current national restrictions in place until the end of the month.

The Danish Health Authority recommends limiting social contacts during the upcoming autumn holidays, deputy director Helene Probst said at the briefing.

“We recommend that you take a break from everyday life, have fun at home and play board games” or take a walk in a nature spot, Probst said.

The general situation with the virus can quickly be changed by as much as a single party with a lot of virus transmissions, SSI technical director Kåre Mølbak said.

“We have an epidemic that can quickly pick up speed again, especially if there is a super-spreader event,” Mølbak said.

Member comments

Become a Member to leave a comment.

Bonuses on the new “CopenPay” scheme include a kayak or boat tour, a vegetarian meal, a museum ticket, or an e-bicycle ride — free of charge.

Why does the city want to give away these freebies?

“It is a core task for us to make travelling sustainable. And we will only succeed if we bridge the large gap between the visitors’ desire to act sustainably and their actual behaviour”, tourism board CEO Mikkel Aaro-Hansen said.

The public’s reaction has been “overwhelmingly positive”, although some disappointed visitors “would have liked the scheme to be in place during their stay,” Copenhagen tourism office communications director Rikke Holm Petersen told news agency AFP.

Although the tourist board says it wants the scheme to change behaviour to a more eco-friendly approach, it admits the initiative alone cannot dent the environmental impact of tourism.

More than 100,000 passengers flew into Copenhagen in June, resulting in a much higher carbon footprint than bus or train travel, according to airport data.

“The environmental burden of transportation to and from Copenhagen is much more significant than that of local transportation,” said tourism website VisitCopenhagen.

“We have chosen to limit our advertising efforts to Copenhagen Airport, the central station, and within the city itself, rather than conducting marketing campaigns abroad,” Petersen said.

The tourism office will consider extending the scheme beyond the city — perhaps even abroad — if it proves successful.

“We hope to reintroduce CopenPay as a year-round, green payment experience within the economy and broaden the concept to other parts of Denmark and the rest of the world,” according to the VisitCopenhagen site.