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COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Denmark’s authorities mentioned Wednesday it is going to scrap most pandemic restrictions subsequent week, whilst neighboring Sweden prolonged its personal measures for an additional fortnight.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen mentioned that as of Feb. 1 Danes will take pleasure in free entry to eating places, cafés, museums and nightclubs, whereas masks use will stop to be necessary.
“We say goodbye to the restrictions and welcome the life we knew before” the pandemic, Frederiksen mentioned. “As of Feb. 1, Denmark will be open.”
Denmark at the moment requires face masks on public transportation, in outlets, for standing purchasers in restaurant indoor areas, and for individuals coming into hospitals, well being care amenities and retirement properties. As of Feb. 1, the authorities will solely advocate masks use in hospitals, well being care amenities and houses for the aged.
Frederiksen mentioned that whereas the omicron variant is surging in Denmark, it’s not inserting a heavy burden on the well being system and the nation has a excessive vaccination charge.
“It may seem strange that we want to remove restrictions given the high infection rates,” she mentioned. “But fewer people become seriously ill.”
Denmark has in latest weeks seen greater than 46,000 each day instances on common, however solely 40 persons are at the moment in hospital intensive care items — down from 80 a couple of weeks in the past — Health Minister Magnus Heunicke mentioned.
Heunicke urged Danes to get examined commonly. “We continue with a strong epidemic surveillance. Then we … can react quickly if necessary.”
Frederiksen warned that Denmark may see an increase in infections in the coming weeks, including {that a} fourth vaccination shot may show obligatory.
An indication requests guests to put on masks at Torvehallerne meals market in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. Photographer: Carsten Snejbjerg/Bloomberg by way of Getty Images
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The restrictions being scrapped subsequent week have been initially launched in July however have been eliminated about ten weeks later after a profitable vaccination drive. They have been reintroduced when infections soared.
In 2020, Denmark grew to become one in every of the first European international locations to shut faculties due to the pandemic, and despatched residence all public workers with out crucial features.
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Earlier Thursday, Sweden prolonged a number of coronavirus restrictions for 2 weeks.
Social Affairs Minister Lena Hallengren mentioned the nation, which had beforehand stood out amongst European nations for its comparatively hands-off pandemic response, has “an extremely record high spread of infection.”
Karin Tegmark Wisell, head of Sweden’s Public Health Agency, mentioned infections are anticipated to decline in a few weeks. She mentioned Sweden had 270,000 new infections in the previous week and that “our assessment is that, during this period, at least half a million can fall ill per week.”
Sweden has ordered cafes, bars and eating places to shut at 11 p.m., and urged individuals to earn a living from home when attainable.
In one other Scandinavian nation, Finland, Prime Minister Sanna Marin tweeted that “the government will assess the necessity of (the) restrictions.” She added that it “should consider opening low-risk cultural and sports events with a COVID pass and extending the opening hours of restaurants on a quicker schedule than was previously estimated.”