After 548 days of restrictions, Denmark has become the first country in the European Union to abolish all measures related to Covid-19: from today it is no longer necessary to show the green pass even at the entrance to night clubs. Since midnight, Copenhagen has believed that Covid-19 is no longer a “socially critical disease”.
The measure is linked to the high number of adhesions to the vaccination campaign: more than 80% of people over the age of 12 received two doses. “I wouldn’t say it’s too early. We have opened the door, but we can close it if necessary, ”Soeren Riis Paludan, a professor of virology at the Danish University of Aarhus, told The Associated Press. Already on August 27, the Minister of Health Magnus Heunicke had announced that “the epidemic was under control”, adding however: “We are not out of it yet”.
From 14 August the mask was no longer mandatory on public transport, while on 1 September the night clubs were reopened, the limits on public assemblies removed. Furthermore, it was no longer mandatory to show the green pass to sit in restaurants or go to the stadium, spas or hairdresser.
It remains the obligation to wear the mask at airports, while it is recommended by the doctor, in Covid-19 monitoring centers and hospitals. The safe distance is still recommended and there are severe restrictions for foreigners entering Denmark. The epidemic is still considered to be linked to ‘normally dangerous disease’. “The coronavirus specter remains,” commented Frank Oestergaard, a restaurant owner in Copenhagen. Sweden has also announced that it will abolish most of the restrictions against Covid-19 by 29 September.