The Danish government on Friday proposed a digital “corona pass” mandate for employees amid a third wave of Covid infections, marking a reversal only two months after the country removed restrictions.
The proposed Covid pass mandate has been agreed in principle between the government, trade unions and employer associations. It is expected to formally come into law next week.
The new infection-fighting measure will allow workplaces to require all employees to present a Covid pass, showing the individual is either fully vaccinated, has tested negative or has recently recovered from the virus.
“We have made an agreement, which can provide greater security in the workplace and hopefully help Denmark get through the winter as well as possible,” the country’s interim business minister, Mattias Tesfaye, said on Friday.
The legislation comes two months after Denmark scrapped Covid restrictions, declaring at the time that coronavirus was no longer a “critical threat to society.” With the reversal of freedoms, Denmark joins the list of European Union member states that have reimposed Covid safety measures amid a spike in infections.
Denmark’s decision to back the Covid pass comes after the World Health Organization’s Europe director, Hans Kluge, warned the continent could see “half a million deaths” from the virus before February. Speaking on Tuesday, Kluge raised concerns about the “relaxation of public-health and social measures,” warning that this was fueling a rise in infections.
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