"No Need to Wear Masks"…Denmark Becomes First EU Member State to Fully Lift COVID-19 Restrictions

Population 5.8 Million with 50,000 Daily Cases
"COVID-19 No Longer a Major Social Disease"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young]Denmark became the first among the 27 European Union (EU) member countries to completely lift COVID-19 quarantine restrictions starting from the 1st.

Denmark announced that it "no longer considers COVID-19 a serious social disease" and will fully lift COVID-19 quarantine measures from the 1st. Although COVID-19 is still rapidly spreading in Denmark, the government explained that it is not placing a significant burden on the healthcare system, and the vaccination rate is high.

Søren Brostrøm, head of Denmark's health authority, told TV2, "We are paying more attention to the number of patients in intensive care units rather than the number of new confirmed cases," adding, "The number of ICU patients is decreasing and has dropped to an unbelievably low level."

In Denmark, with a population of 5.8 million, the number of new confirmed cases exceeded 50,000 in one day, with the recent weekly new cases per 100,000 population surpassing 5,200. Among these, only 32 COVID-19 patients are in intensive care units. Denmark's health authorities attribute this to the mild progression of the disease even when infected and a first-dose vaccination rate of 83%.

Accordingly, in Denmark, wearing masks is no longer required on public transportation, in stores, or indoor spaces of restaurants. The health authorities recommend mask-wearing only in hospitals, healthcare facilities, and nursing homes. Furthermore, showing a vaccine pass is no longer required when entering nightclubs, cafes, or party venues.

Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark, told Danish Radio, "I dare not say this is the final farewell to quarantine restrictions," adding, "We still do not know whether a new variant will emerge in the fall."

Previously, Denmark was the first EU member country to significantly ease COVID-19 quarantine restrictions in early September last year but reintroduced quarantine measures from November as confirmed cases surged.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.