Denmark has revealed its first cautious steps towards dancing out of the current COVID lockdown restrictions with the hope another infection wave doesn’t force the country to bring down the hammer again.
As expected the reopening plan relies heavily on a steady ramping up of across the board and frequent COVID testing.
The steps follow the recommendation of the COVID Task Force released on Monday with some exceptions.
As of Monday.
Retail Businesses
Department stores under 5000 square meters can be reopened with temporarily tightened social distancing requirements. This does NOT apply to department stores meeting the size requirement in shopping malls and centers.
Specialty stores over 5,000 square meters or more can stay open by appointment. This was not part of the Task Force's recommendations
Culture and Sport
Outdoor cultural institutions are reopened with a requirement for visitors of a negative corona test no more than 72 hours old.
The assembly ban for organized outdoor sports and association activities is raised from 5 to 25 people. The task force's recommendation was that the ceiling be raised to 20 people.
Schools
In North and West Jutland “all graduating students in primary schools as well as in upper secondary and adult education” can return to class albeit at half classroom capacity and with twice a week corona testing.
For students in primary and lower secondary schools they are “strongly encouraged” to get twice a week COVID testing. For upper secondary and adult education students twice a week testing is mandatory.
Continuing education in North and West Jutland can reopen with full attendance “with special infection prevention measures.”
The reopening agreement includes addressing the needs of students who have challenges attending school or are mentally struggling due to the pandemic. It allows for small socially distanced meetings outside with their teachers.
The agreement specifies that work get underway to get efterskoler and højskoler reopened nationally with infection detection measures in place by March 15th.
Bornholm
Bornholm gets a broad partial opening.
All students can return to class albeit with twice weekly testing requirements.
Tattoo, piercing, spa, body care, beauty, massage clinics, hairdressers, and driving school businesses can all reopen with the requirement for customers to wear a mask and have a negative corona test no more than 72 hours old.
Testing restrictions are also tightened to travel to and from the island. There was no detail for this but the task force recommendation was for all travelers to have a negative corona test.
The reopening agreement also includes that health authorities work on easier less invasive COVID testing methods including saliva testing. Rinse and spit corona saliva testing is used elsewhere including in Canada.
Also contingent to the reopening agreement reached between Denmark’s political parties is that health officials continue to work on easier and less invasive COVID testing avenues including using saliva testing methods.
It also initiates experimenting with wastewater monitoring as an early warning COVID system.
The reopening in North and West Jutland will be a model extended to other regions of Denmark as of March 15th “if the infection situation allows it". For example East Jutland, West and South Zealand, and Fyn would qualify today. Although that might change between now and March 15th.
This is of course contingent on infection levels staying down and any sudden explosion of infections could mean all of these plans go out the window.
Denmark’s Education Minister Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil
“We must not put ourselves in a situation where the infection increases and we lose control. That is why we must listen to what the experts say.”
All other National lockdown restrictions are extended until April 5th
Bornholm is an exception to these.
These include
Assembly ceiling of five people.
Hairdressers, gyms cosmetic clinics, and massage parlors remain closed.
Students in the primary and lower secondary school's grades 5-10 and students in upper secondary and higher education remain on distance learning.
Department stores must stay closed. Stores over 5,000 square meters must have a limited number of customers.
All indoor sports and cultural facilities are closed. This includes handball halls, swimming pools, gyms, theaters and cinemas.
Restaurants, bars, cafes, discos and nightlife venues must be kept closed. Restaurants are welcome to sell takeaway.