København and the rest of Denmark have been enjoyed more relaxed Covid-19 restrictions over the past two weeks, but even more freedoms are back with us right now. Today (February 1) all domestic Covid restrictions have come to an end, once again allowing Danes to enjoy the freedoms that the pandemic has long denied them.
Following advice from the Epidemic Committee (Epedimiudvalget), the government decided to relax the majority of the remaining restrictions, starting today. That means nightclubs can now reopen, shops can lift the all limits on customer numbers, commuters will be able to travel without masks, and restaurants can serve alcohol after 10pm. Additionally, vaccine passes are no longer needed – all of which makes Denmark the first EU country to relax all domestic curbs. In the words of Dr Camilla Holten-Moller, who works at the SSI (Staten Serum Institut), Covid is now not “considered critical”.
The move comes at a time when Denmark, like many other European nations, is facing a wave of Covid infections. However, with the dominant Omicron variant widely believed to be milder than previous mutations, and some 30% of Covid patients in hospital for reasons other than Covid, the deadliness of the pandemic has been lessened. Based on similar reasoning, regulations in The Netherlands and UK have also been relaxed recently.
Not all Covid regulations are being relaxed, however; Denmark will retain some of the stricter border measures to control the spread of Covid-19. That includes retaining testing for unvaccinated travellers from outside the Schengen Area, who must provide a negative test result within 24 hours of arrival.