Deeming its strong vaccination coverage sufficient in the face of the lesser severity of the Omicron variant, Denmark announced on Wednesday that it wanted to lift all its internal anti-Covid restrictions on February 1 despite record cases and rising hospitalizations.
If the government’s plan receives the approval of a parliamentary committee later today, the Nordic country would become the first in the European Union to take the plunge despite the wave of the Omicron variant.
Restrictions for travelers
“I wish (…) that the categorization of Covid-19 as a disease threatening to society will be abolished from February 1, 2022”, wrote Minister of Health Magnus Heunicke in a letter addressed to Parliament. The end of this designation leads de facto to the lifting of all national restrictions currently in force, such as the use of a health pass, the wearing of a mask or the early closing of bars and restaurants. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is due to speak to the press early in the evening.
The Danish government only wants to maintain for four additional weeks certain restrictions on entering the territory, namely tests and/or quarantine depending on the country of origin. The Scandinavian kingdom had already lifted all restrictions on September 10, before reintroducing the health pass in early November and then introducing new restrictions.
Hospitalizations on the rise
In Denmark, it will remain “recommended” to isolate yourself for four days in the event of a positive test, according to the National Health Agency. With more than 46,000 new cases on Tuesday, the contamination rate is extremely high in the Nordic country. “But our current assessment is that the epidemic will soon reach its peak,” justified Minister Magnus Heunicke on Twitter. “We have good control of hospitalization rates, thanks to the combination of the 3.5 million Danes now revaccinated and the milder nature of Omicron,” he said.
Nearly 60% of the 5.8 million Danes received a booster dose, one month ahead of the schedule envisaged by the health authorities. The number of hospitalizations due to Covid has continued to increase in recent days and exceeded 900 patients, but health authorities believe they can cope with the burden. At the beginning of January, the number of hospitalizations increased by only 16% for an increase in the number of new cases of 35%, they say. In addition, the number of intensive care admissions has decreased from 74 at the beginning of January to 44 currently. The National Health Agency estimates that 35% of people currently hospitalized with Covid are in hospital for another pathology.