The Danish government has decided to stop categorizing the virus as a “socially critical disease,” saying it has it under control. The decision means abandoning the legal basis for restrictions and lifting them in September.
“The epidemic is under control, we have record high vaccination rates,” Denmark’s health officials said in a statement on Friday. While the positive results are the outcome of “strong epidemic control,” special rules that have been introduced to fight the deadly virus will no longer be in place starting from September 10, according to the official announcement.
The soon-to-be-ended classification of Covid as a critical societal threat allowed authorities to force such restrictions as obligatory mask-wearing and ‘coronapass’ requirements, as well as the banning of mass gatherings in the country.
“The government has promised not to hold on to the measures longer than was necessary, and there we are now,” the statement said, adding no special requirements will be needed even for major public events, and also in regard to access to the country’s nightlife. However, authorities reserved the right to reinforce Covid-related restrictions “if the pandemic again threatens important functions in the society.”
“The hard work is not over, and a look out into the world shows why we must continue to be vigilant,” Denmark’s Health Minister Magnus Heunicke wrote on Twitter, while also praising his country’s “epidemic management.”
Denmark was among the first nations to come under pandemic-related restrictions when its parliament passed an executive order classifying the disease as posing a critical threat to society in March 2020. A partial lockdown was introduced back then, with the new rules later added, relaxed, and reinforced throughout the pandemic. By the end of August, more than 70% of the country’s population had been fully vaccinated. Denmark has registered more than 342,000 cases of the virus, with over 2,500 people dying from it.
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