Speaking at a media conference in Denmark, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has presented a slate of new nationwide and local restrictions to combat the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country.
Frederiksen announced that there would be a “geographical, targeted, partial closure” in Aarhus, Copenhagen, Odense and a number of municipalities where the infection is most widespread, with new restrictions introduced in 38 areas across the country.
The prime minister stated in a video message to the country that the move was crucial, as “we must intervene early, so that we can hopefully avoid shutting down even harder.”
The mayors of the 38 municipalities affected attended a virtual meeting with the government on Monday morning to discuss the upcoming restrictions and how their citizens should act to help control the virus. New restrictions will be in place until January 3, and countrywide measures that are already in place will be extended until March.
Students in fifth grade and above will be sent home, while employees who do not work in essential jobs will be asked to work from home, and bars, cinemas, cultural institutions, and restaurants will remain closed until after the New Year.
Health Minister Magnus Heunicke told a media conference on Monday, “We are entering a new phase of the epidemic. It is a phase where we are seeing exponential increases in the infection curves.”
Over the weekend, Denmark reported 3,718 new infections and 20 new fatalities, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 88,858 and deaths to 878 since the start of the pandemic.
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