Coronavirus DK: The "Covid bloc's" sickly dissent

On Wednesday Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen spoke (DK) during the question session in Parliament. She noted that Denmark’s strategy for controlling Covid-19 was working. The number of persons hospitalized has been cut in half in the month of April and now stands at 267. She said the government planned to announce next week a long-term plan for reopening so that citizens, businesses and other organizations know what to expect. It is negotiating the next phase of the reopening, which will begin on May 10, with the other political parties.

Inconsistent policy on reopening

The right-wing parties have been pressing for an earlier opening of businesses and other institutions. Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, the chairman of the Liberal Party, noted that people with medical conditions unrelated to Covid-19 were not able to get treatment because of a prejudice toward private hospitals on the part of the government. He said that the reopening has not been “controlled” as it was supposed to be. It has rather been arbitrary, with shifting policies, and businesses must guess the cabinet ministers’ mood if they do not want to be shamed for reopening even under legal conditions – an allusion to the controversy over IKEA’s reopening on Monday. Søren Pape Poulsen, the chairman of the Conservative Party, said that the testing policy has been confusing because it appeared that it was determined by a shortage of equipment rather than principle. 

When asked whether businesses would suffer if the relaxation of restrictions went too slowly, Frederiksen reasserted the government’s position that the process must be done gradually and carefully. She underscored the five main elements of the regimen: more extensive and aggressive testing and tracing; continued use of protective equipment, for example when people visit older relatives; frequent, thorough cleaning; routine social distancing in workplaces and schools; and prevention of “superspreading” in large gatherings such as concerts.

Illness close to home

In the middle of the session, Frederiksen suddenly left Parliament (DK) because she had gotten a message that a family member had fallen ill, and she was driven directly to Herlev Hospital. Later she posted a message on Facebook saying the situation was not serious and she looked forward to continuing negotiations the next day. She didn’t say whether the illness was related to Covid-19.

The “Covid” opposition

On Thursday, political commentator Lars Trier Mogensen, the editor of the newsletter dkpol, wrote that the current parliamentary opposition was the weakest (DK) in this century. He called it the “Covid bloc.” Danish parties are identified by single letters on voting ballots, and the right-wing parties’ abbreviations, beginning with C for the Conservative Party, by an odd coincidence happen to spell “Covid.” 

In his trenchant analysis, Mogensen wrote that it might seem as though the bloc had been bewitched and paralyzed by the corona virus because since the crisis Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s Social Democrats have become more popular than ever in recent times and their own standing in opinion polls has fallen sharply. But he hastens to add that the right wing’s decline had been underway before the corona virus came to Denmark, for several reasons. For example, the Social Democrats have moved to the right and preempted much of their traditional platform, leaving them with no distinctive positions on either cultural values or economic reform – in “psychic quarantine.” In any case, despite its complaints about the details and pace of the process, the bloc is unable to offer any meaningful counterpoint to the government’s handling of the pandemic.

Coronavirus DK: Self-tracing and self-regulating commerce

The Danish Health Authority is planning to change its corona virus testing policy (DK) so that infected individuals become responsible for informing people they have been in contact with about their condition. Søren Brostrøm, the head of the agency, explained that the Patient Safety Authority does not have the capacity to trace contacts because it is testing more people than before. He described the change as a “paradigm shift.” Contact is defined as sharing the same home or being close together for at least 15 minutes. This means that many more people, including those without symptoms, will be tested. According to Lone Simonsen, Professor at Roskilde University, this policy will allow the economy to reopen sooner and make it safer for people who have not been infected to move about in society. 

Others are more skeptical about the plan. Allan Randrup Thomsen, Professor of Virology at University of Copenhagen, is not certain that all infected people will be up to the task. He thinks that active tracing and increased testing will get rid of the virus sooner and allow additional businesses to open, but he also believes that every infected person should have a professional healthcare contact who follows up on the tracing. Martin Geertsen, the healthcare spokesperson for the Liberal Party, says that if the Health Authority wants to change its testing strategy yet again, it should make sure that the public understands its expectations because it has not succeeded in carrying out its earlier plans to test a much higher number of people. In the past week it has increased tests from around 5,000 to more than 10,000, it has said that, with the new Test Centers set up in tents at four locations in the country, it has the capacity to test up to 42,000.

Backdoor fashionistas

Three stores at a shopping center have discovered a trick that has allowed them to open (DK) up again. According to Peter Møller, who owns Herrehuset, a men’s clothing shop, if a store has a back door, it is allowed to open. The front entrance of the shop is closed and displays a sign directing customers to the back. Customers are happy that they can return, says Møller, and the shop has plenty of room so that people do not need to come close to one another. Theresa Berg Andersen, the business spokesperson for the Socialist People’s Party, thinks that the rules need to be clarified. Shopping centers are not allowed to open yet, but it is unclear whether the rule applies to individual shops. Simon Kollerup, the Minister for Business, Industry and Financial Affairs, did not want to comment on the case.

Coming to the furniture giant's defense

Yesterday I wrote about IKEA’s reopening and Simon Kollerup’s disapproval. Various right-wing politicians have now criticized Kollerup for interfering with IKEA’s business (DK). Alex Vanopslagh, from the Liberal Alliance Party, says that when IKEA has a legal right to open it is inappropriate for Kollerup to pronounce his personal opinion about the issue. Lars Løkke Rasmussen, former prime minister, also asks, in a tweet, whether citizens and businesses are supposed to follow the country’s laws or a minister’s intuitions. The right-wing parties demand that the government explain more precisely what rules apply to shops and other businesses. Commentators have questioned Løkke’s own intervention in the lockdown exit strategy debate as undermining the authority of the current Liberal Party leader, Jacob Ellemann-Jensen.

IKEA maintains that it was not subject to any specific order to close. It closed down voluntarily on March 18 and has now implemented precautions to prevent the spread of the corona virus. It has stationed staff throughout the buildings to ensure that customers keep a distance from one another. The police have also been on hand to monitor (DK) the long lines of customers waiting to enter the stores, and they report that people seem to understand the seriousness of the risk and are complying with the guidelines. 

Coronavirus DK: Fighting about unlocking the lockdown

Yesterday I wrote about efforts by the police to enforce social distancing among individual citizens. The government is also trying to keep additional businesses and other organizations from reopening too soon against the wishes of a parliamentary majority.

Some of the smaller municipalities (DK) in the country that have not had many Covid-19 cases want to reopen before the others. As of Sunday, seventeen municipalities had not registered any new infections in at least a week. Henrik Frandsen, the mayor of Tønder, in southern Jutland, proposes opening restaurants as long as they keep patrons at a safe distance from one another. He also wants to open the border to Germany for tourists who can document summerhouse rentals. Other municipalities in the area that are suffering from a loss of tourism agree. Sofie Valbjørn, the mayor of Fanø, argues that its conditions are much different from those in Copenhagen. It is sparsely populated and there is much space and nature reserves where people can move around freely. She proposes opening middle schools and restaurants.

Support for local decisions

While the political parties each have their own positions about what parts of society and the economy should be opened next, a clear majority favors allowing a differentiated reopening (DK), assuming the sound health conditions are observed. The Danish People’s Party would open nursing homes for visits from relatives as well as adult education and nature parks where visitors stay in their cars. “Why wait until the last place in a city is ready to reopen?” asks chairman Kristian Thulesen Dahl. The Socialist People’s Party wants to open middle schools as well as permitting visits to nursing homes. It favors opening localities with a low rate of infection and not localities where people are violating social distance recommendations because otherwise the former will not feel that they are not benefiting from complying with the guidelines.

Most of the right-wing parties adduce economic reasons for a differentiated relaxation of the lockdown. The Liberal Party favors opening restaurants and cafes before public institutions because it will benefit business, which is the foundation of the welfare state. The New Right wants to open the borders to Germany and Norway in order to allow the tourist industry to operate again, bringing income and jobs to the peripheral regions of the country. The Liberal Alliance Party would allow a reopening of the remainder of the educational system as well as restaurants.

Viruses don’t observe borders

The Red-Green Party is the only one besides the Social Democratic administration that is against a differentiated opening. It argues that traffic across the regions will increase, raising the chances of reigniting an outbreak. The Social Liberal Party has not taken a clear position. It defers to the healthcare authorities.

Some experts warn against a differentiated reopening. For example, Hans Jørgen Kolmos, Professor at Southern Denmark University, says that people will travel to regions that opened before others, some will bring the virus with them, and it will be impossible to limit or monitor the spread. Social distancing has worked, and it must be coordinated. Astrid Krag, the Minister for Social Affairs and the Interior, says that the issue is part of the general negotiations on the gradual relaxation of lockdown restrictions.

Deal or no deal?

One place that did reopen yesterday was IKEA (DK). There were lines of customers waiting to come into its five outlets across the country. Simon Kollerup, Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, was not pleased. He says that the retailer has broken an agreement with the administration and will consider taking action. IKEA responded that it was not violating any political agreement, it had announced that it would reopen ten days before, and it had not heard any objections from the administration. The Ministry of Industry countered that during the weekend Kollerup made a clear statement that no additional businesses should reopen until Parliament had decided on an overall plan for the next phase of the lockdown exit process. Mads Satsman-Nørhede, the manager of IKEA’s Taastup store, said that they had adhered to the governments’s general recommendations but if they got an order to close, they would of course comply with it.

Coronavirus DK: The police crackdown finally arrives

People can’t say they hadn’t been warned. The police waited a long time before beginning to issue fines to people who gather in groups of more than ten. Their instructions had been to break up the groups with “dialogue and instructions” (DK) and only to issue fines as a last resort if those methods didn’t work. Dialogue is always the preferred solution, they say. The groups usually did disperse, but sometimes they returned after the police had gone or others gathered later in the same area. In the past week, when warmer spring weather arrived, they issued only seven fines in the entire country. Almost everyone got off with a warning, while the healthcare authorities kept telling them that they risked losing the progress that the country had made in controlling with pandemic in the past month. 

But now the cops have lost their patience. They say people have had time to learn the rules and now they will issue fines more readily. Saturday evening they issued fines to ten people who were playing a game on the beach. Except for a couple who escaped, each of them was fined DKK 2,500 (DK) (about $350), as the police were quick to tweet soon afterward. Sunday morning they issued the first fines (DK) to people loitering at Islands Brygge, the popular waterfront area in Copenhagen where a complete ban went into effect the evening before. One victim was a woman who was sitting on a bench (DK) by a playground with her seven-year-old daughter and her daughter’s friend.

$350 for sitting with two seven-year-olds

In an interview afterward, the woman said she had been shocked that the police gave her a fine without a waning. There was no one else in the playground and no sign at the entrance saying that they couldn’t be there. She lived in the neighborhood and had been concerned herself about the large crowds gathering there. She had been so surprised that she hadn’t even asked the police the amount. “Oh no, no, no!” she said, when the reporter told her. When the police were asked whether the fine wasn’t excessive for a woman and two small children, a representative said that it might seem unfair to an individual, but there were signs all over the Islands Brygge neighborhood and the situation should be seen from a wider perspective.

Sunday evening 11 young men and boys (DK) aged 16 to 21 who were gathered near the harbor in Odense, Denmark’s third largest city, were also issued fines. The police sent a tweet soon afterward as if they were eager to publicize the fact that they were no longer issuing warnings and allowing exceptions. The young people knew they weren’t supposed to be standing together, said the police shift captain, because they dispersed as soon as they saw us. At a club in the Northwest district (DK) in Copenhagen, 34 people were fined for gathering without any creditable purpose. The prohibition against groups applies to both public and private locations, said the police. Fines were issued to all 34 individuals, bringing the total amount to DKK 85,000 (more than $12,000). If some of them want to appeal, said the police, it will be up to the courts to decide their fate.

Collateral damage

The crackdown is bad news for Bryggens Spisehus (DK), a popular café at Islands Brygge. Adem Asci, the proprietor, says that before the ban on the area he had started to reestablish his takeout business. Customers generally kept a distance from one another when they stood in line and took their food to the nearby benches, he said. That is, until Thursday and Friday, when large crowds started congregating there. Now Islands Brygge is empty. Asci says that if the police had acted more resolutely earlier, it might not have been necessary to issue a total ban on the neighborhood.

Coronavirus DK: Drive-in culture and color-coded hookups

The warnings didn’t work. In a press conference yesterday, Copenhagen’s Police Chief Anne Tønnes said the police were issuing a ban on gatherings in the waterfront lawns (DK) in the Islands Brygge neighborhood in Copenhagen. She reported that around 200 young people partied in the area the night before in an “inappropriate” manner despite clear warnings not to do so. Now they will be given fines of DKK 2,500 (about $350) immediately and will be subject to higher penalties for repeated offenses. The ban extends until May 1. It does not prohibit people from walking through the area. This is the second case in which the police have issued a ban on gatherings in a particular area. The other applies to a shopping center on the small island of Romø.

A loud sitting ovation

People are finding ways of returning to normal activities again under new conditions. Musicians and other performers have been sidelined by the ban on large gatherings. Friday evening the singer Mads Langer held a concert at a drive-in movie theater (DK) outside Aarhus. The concert was arranged at short notice, with tickets for 500 cars sold out in a week. The sound was transmitted to cars on an FM radio frequency, and the attendees seemed to enjoy the music and the new experience. They honked their horns to applaud, ran their windshield wipers, and rocked the cars. The event took place at what they call P-scene (DK) at Tangkrogen by Aarhus Bay, and several other performances are scheduled in the coming weeks. 

Minister of Justice Nick Hækkerup says that it is a healthy sign that people are finding creative ways to hold cultural events. They are using drive-in theaters for experiences that otherwise wouldn’t be possible under the lockdown – concerts, church services, film and soccer transmissions. Nevertheless, the Justice Ministry wants to monitor such events so see that they take place under proper conditions. It has therefore announced that event arrangers must obtain advance permission (DK) from the police. The requirement extends through the summer.

Necessity is the mother

The Skyland Beach music festival (DK), which had been scheduled for two weeks in July, was canceled because of the lockdown. Three siblings whose parents have run camping grounds at Skyland and a friend are now working on a plan B that they hope the authorities will approve. They want to hold the event at the camping grounds with strict hygienic rules and facilities.

Camping grounds have been given permission to open if they maintain a distance between guests. The large camping grounds at Skyland can be divided up into areas with 500 people each, and the Pedersen siblings hope gatherings of that size will be allowed again by the time the festival will be held. They propose issuing armbands according to the area where participants are staying, and after the music stops in the evening, when the guests traditionally begin to mingle, they will be allowed to hug, kiss and so on only with those with the same color armband. That’s the proposal anyway. Security staff will be on hand to make sure that people follow the rules. If the Pedersens don’t get approval, they will resort to plan C, operating ordinary family camping grounds. 

Coronavirus DK: Maintaining solidarity across age groups and EU

Because of the many gatherings that I reported on yesterday, the Danish Police have identified several areas as “hotspots” that people should avoid (DK). They are locations by the waterfront and other recreational areas where people often congregate in the good weather, and a few have been designated in all the major cities. The police advise people to find less popular places to take the sun and help reduce the risk of spreading the corona virus. They are posting notices and will be stationed in the areas to break up groups of more than 10 people and issue fines if people don’t comply.

The administration and coronavirus.dk have tweeted an animated message (DK) to the same effect intended for young people. It reminds them that, although they may be healthy and symptom-free, they may be carrying the virus, which can spread when they socialize and cultivate the famous Danish hygge (“coziness” or relaxed conviviality). They could infect the elderly and people with chronic illnesses, who can die from it. The hashtag “#sammenhverforsig” has become one of the crisis management team’s slogans. It can be translated as “together separately”; that is, show solidarity by keeping a distance to others – a sort of the pandemic variation on the Dumas’s three muskateers’ “All for one and one for all.”

“All for one” on EU corona bonds?

Meanwhile, at an online meeting on Thursday, the leaders of the European Union member states could not agree (DK) on the terms of an aid package for countries hurt by the pandemic. They have approved a package of DKK 4,000 billion (about $570 billion) that is intended to help employees, businesses and countries that have been hurt the worst by pandemic. But some of the southern European countries also want the EU to assume joint liability for debt, and some of the northern countries, including Denmark, are against that. Denmark’s position is that the contributions from the individual countries should be maintained at 1 percent of the country’s GDP and that it should be possible to help the hardest-hit countries within the framework of the current budget.

Margrethe Vestager, the European Minister for Competition and former Danish cabinet minister, earlier in the week advocated the creation of shared European debt (DK), so-called corona bonds. She argued that, while during the financial crisis some countries suffered because their banks were ill-prepared, in this case the pandemic is no one’s fault. If the countries with stronger economies support the bonds, the interest rate will be lower. French President Emmanuel Macron has also been arguing recently that mutualized debt is necessary in order keep the EU together and if the member states do not show solidarity, it will further the populistic elements that have gained a large following in recent years and that have divided them. Danish Finance Minister Nicolai Wammen is skeptical about this step, which has been debated for years, warning that shared debt could weaken the individual countries’ incentive to maintain sound finances.

Extra credit in biology

The tabloid B.T. reports an unintended consequence of one form of corona virus workaround that occurred among eighth-grade students of Rismølle School in Randers, Jutland. After finishing an online class at 9:45 a.m., their teacher forgot to turn off the computer and the students could hear the sounds of sexual intercourse (DK) in the school’s “online universe.” The principal sent a message to parents apologizing for the incident and assuring them that the part of the transmission in question consisted only of audio, that is, not livestreaming video. “But of course that is also serious,” the message concluded. Whether the teacher was involved in the offensive activity was not disclosed. Like everything else, hygge has its limits.

Coronavirus DK: Don’t get careless, people

While the administration is holding discussions about which parts of the economy to open next, some people are acting as though the risk of the infection spreading is over.

The weather has improved this past week, with the highest temperatures of the year. Danes are always eager to come out in the sunshine after the long, dark winter. But too many of them are forgetting to follow the guidelines (DK) for social distancing, say the police. “I am very upset and extremely disappointed,” tweeted Claus Oxfeldt, chairman of the Danish Police Union, about the crowds in certain areas of Copenhagen. He pointed specifically at the Islands Brygge neighborhood in Copenhagen, which has several large lawns along the harbor front, where 300-400 people were gathering, mostly in small groups of under 10 persons each but too close to one another. The police have issued warnings rather instead of giving fines immediately, and people disperse. But when the police return, they find that the same people have returned to the spot or others have gathered there. They are surprised that people care more about getting sun than their health and say they will begin to issue fines more quickly. The fine for violating the limit of a 10-person group is about DKK 1,500 ($215).

Crowded supermarkets and full busses

Employees in supermarkets have noticed similar behavior (DK): more people are no longer complying with the recommendations on social distancing. According to Per Tønnesen, section chairman for the retail trade union, the organization receives 15-20 reports per day that customers come too close together in certain areas, such as the produce and refrigerated sections, and they are not using sanitizer and disposable gloves. People are also shopping in groups, both young people and families. The problems are worst at the large supermarkets, where there is more room for customers to keep their distance from one another. Smaller grocery stores are better at limiting the number of customers on the premises at a time. One large supermarket chain, Coop, however, says that it has not received such complaints from employees and that customers appear to be adhering to the guidelines. That may be because employees are reluctant to take problems to their employers, comments Tønnesen. Jens Juul Nielsen, Coop’s  information director, responds that union representatives should feel free to speak to their managers because they company wants to maintain the safest conditions possible in the stores. 

A few days ago, TV2 News published photos of a bus full of passengers (DK) traveling across the country from Aalborg to Copenhagen. The sight angered Benny Engelbrecht, the Minister of Transportation, who asked the Minister of Health to issue an executive order that long-distance buses may not be more than half-full. At the time of the photo, the situation on the bus was not a clear violation of the law but went against the general recommendations that passengers in collective traffic maintain a distance from one another. If the bus company in question, Flixbus, does not comply with the rules, said Engelbrecht in a press release, its operating license will be withdrawn. The company apologized to any passengers who felt insecure about riding on a full bus.

Too early for zoos and cafes 

Although the trend in infections and deaths is still on the right track, epidemiologists say that we shouldn’t become complacent because the reopening has begun.  Allan Randrup Thomsen, Professor of Virology at University of Copenhagen and Jens Lundgren, Professor of Infectious Disease Medicine are both skeptical about proposals (DK) for opening additional parts of the economy. They warn that people must be careful to continue social distancing, and more testing is needed. Recently the police gave permission for zoos to reopen, but the government asked them to reconsider and the reopening was postponed. Others have proposed opening certain regions of the country on a staggered schedule, but the experts warn that the country is so small that such a policy could prompt people to travel to restaurants and cafes in the open areas. They stress the need for an overall plan for reopening gradually.

Coronavirus DK: Healthcare staff still at risk

Five patients and 35 employees have been infected at Nykøbing Falster Hospital in southern Denmark. This is the second large outbreak inside a hospital (DK). The hospital believes that the outbreak began with an elderly patient who was admitted to the ward for treatment of liver disease in March without Covid-19 symptoms. Two weeks later, the patient and two other patients showed Covid-19 symptoms. The ward was also used for cardiology patients and staff. The infected patients were serviced by several nurses, doctors, physical therapists and others who began to show symptoms and tested positive. As soon as the symptoms were discovered in the patients, they were moved to a separate ward. Five of the 10 patients in the ward were infected, and it was closed afterward. The hospital had followed all the rules in effect at the time that the patients in question were admitted, when there was no policy on testing all new admissions. The Healthcare authority introduced such a policy only this week. 

The Health Authority is finally making good on its intention to test more people for infection. Yesterday, nearly 8,000 people were tested (DK), an increase of 3,000 over the previous record. This week, the testing policy was changed to include people with mild symptoms. At the end of April, people without symptoms will also be able to be tested. This will cover people who have been in contact with an infected person or who work at a location where someone was infected. They will be tested at the new TestCenter that was set up in tents in Fælledparken in Copenhagen.

Update on the spread

The tests discovered 217 new infections, bringing the total of confirmed cases to 7,912 out of a total of 108,465 people tested. The number of deaths per day has fallen to the single digits this week, and total deaths now stand at 384. These figures may seem very small in relation to those in the US. For comparison, the number of deaths from Covid-19 per million inhabitants is 67 in Denmark versus 142 in the US. That is, even though the social distancing policy in Denmark appears to be working well and the Danish economy is reopening, the overall fatality rate for the US population is only little over twice as high. By this measure, the situation is much worse in other European countries, with 465 deaths per million in Spain, 414 in Italy, and 269 in the UK. Infections and deaths per day have begun declining in Europe, however, and they have not in the US.

Healthcare employees who become infected with Covid-19 can register their illness as a work injury (DK) and receive compensation for it. That policy was confirmed by Employment Minister Peter Hummelgaard in a press conference yesterday. According to the normal rules, an employee must document the specific situation in which she became infected and must test positive. The Employment Ministry has made an exception and will now honor claims if employees have worked in an ICU and have had contact with Covid-19 patients.

Debating herd immunity

Danish researchers dispute statements by Kåre Mølbak of the Statens Serum Institut (SSI) on the possibility of herd immunity (DK). Herd immunity requires that 60 percent of a population has recovered from infection and become resistant to it. According to Astrid Iversen, Professor of Virology and Immunology at Oxford University, that can take up to five years and immunity may last only one or two years. That has been the case with previous outbreaks of corona virus, the first SARS virus in 2003 and the MERS in 2012. There is much uncertainty about whether Covid-19 antibodies give protection against reinfection and about the effectiveness of herd immunity, and researchers believe that SSI has not explained this clearly.

Coronavirus DK: Gearing up for the long haul

In a question session yesterday, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that it was unwise and untenable that Denmark did not have a secure source of personal protection equipment (PPE) (DK) and testing equipment for an epidemic. Until a few years ago, Statens Serum Institut, the agency responsible for preparing for infectious diseases, had a unit that produced vaccine. It was sold to a Saudi Arabian firm for DKK 15 million ($2.2 million). When asked whether that was not a mistake, Frederiksen answered simply that Denmark should not be in such a vulnerable position regarding supplies again. It was not clear that it was economical for the Danish state to produce all the necessary equipment, she said. She favored shared production with other, like-minded European countries, and she would raise the subject at a meeting of EU this week.

Beware cheap PPE

The Danish Safety Technology Authority issued a warning about sales of protective equipment (DK) that does not satisfy security standards and named specific companies. The firm Hifling Labels, for example, was ordered to stop the sale of “corona masks” to nursing homes in Copenhagen. It must also inform customers that purchased the masks that there was no documentation that masks complied with the relevant standards or provided any protection against the Covid-19 virus. The agency is investigating 11 other companies that sell equipment. The demand for masks and other PPE has increased now that small businesses such as dentists and hairdressers have reopened. Sisse Marie Welling, Deputy Mayor for Health, said it was reprehensible that private companies try to earn money by putting vulnerable elderly persons at risk. In any case, individual nursing homes are not supposed to purchase equipment themselves. Such equipment is purchased centrally by the municipality, which ensures that it fulfills the security requirements.

Substitutes for hugging 

The prime minister was also asked how long people will have to practice social distancing. She responded that the authorities don’t know yet, but she didn’t think that anyone could stand not being able to hug their grandfather in a year, for example. This prompted a journalist to ask a brain researcher what people can do if they have withdrawal symptoms from lack of hugging (DK). Professor Troels Kjær of Zealand University Hospital and the University of Copenhagen, explained about the benefits of oxytocin, the famous “hugging hormone,” and gave a few suggestions. 1) Take a warm shower. It activates the sensors in the skin for touch and heat, widens the blood vessels, and triggers a release of oxytocin. 2) Lie under a heavy comforter or wear tight clothing. The steady pressure on the skin also releases oxytocin. 3) Lay a vibrating phone against your body. It stimulates cells sensitive to touch in a way similar to a shower. 4) Self-massage. Sex of course releases large dose of oxytocin. But if that or a massage from a quarantine partner isn’t an option, you can always give yourself what Kjær calls a “self-hug.” But none of these substitutes can beat a good hug, he concludes, because of all the positive feelings and associations you get from your relation to other person.

Still aiming for more testing

Yesterday, the Danish Regions offered some more information about those tents that were set up in Fælledparken (DK) in Copenhagen. They are called TestCenter Danmark, and they are intended to enable authorities to test more people than before for both coronavirus infection and antibodies. The objective is test everyone with mild symptoms, everyone who is hospitalized, and personnel in healthcare facilities and nursing homes. Testing will take place on two tracks. The healthcare system will manage one of them, and the Test Center will manage the “society track.” The TestCenter will allow testing of an additional 20,000 per day. Thus far fewer than 6,000 people have been tested in a single day. 

Coronavirus DK: Can we return to life before corona virus?

Danes are not following the authorities’ recommendations (DK) on hygiene and social distancing as strictly as they were before, according to a new study. A research project called “HOPE – How Democracies Cope with Covid-19” has found that as the number of infections and deaths decline and society begins to reopen, Danes are easing up on the practices that led to an improvement of the situation. Michael Bang Petersen, Professor at the Institute for Political Science at Aarhus University, says the tendency has been consistent and is cause for concern. Most people continue to comply with the guidelines, but it becomes harder to do so over time. People get a sense of security because the infection figures are falling and they are tired of following a strict regime, says Petersen. 

The survey covered three parameters: hand hygiene – whether people washed their hands several times a day; social distancing – whether they avoid gatherings of more than 10 people; and whether they had changed their behavior generally during the lockdown. The figures for all three parameters show that people’s compliance with the recommendations peaked around March 23-25 and has been declining steadily since. The problem with using such information in an epidemic, says Petersen, is that the effects of changed behavior may not show up in symptoms until 14 days later, when it is too late to avoid infection. He urges people to maintain their discipline, especially now, when businesses are reopening and people are coming into closer contact, because not doing so could lead to a second wave of infections. In that case, the country would lose the progress it has made.

Debating the criteria for reopening

A child psychologist has criticized the conditions (DK) in which the youngest children are returning to day-care centers and has advised parents to keep them home. In an interview on Sunday, Margrethe Brun Hansen argued that children under the age of three should be introduced to nurseries gradually, with their parents in the room until they feel secure. Minister for Children and Education Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil said that she could understand why some parents might be concerned, but she has a young child herself and is not worried. She said that we have well-educated employees who evaluate the children when they arrive. The key factor for her was that the staff comply with the Health Authorities’ guidelines before they open a day-care center. 

The Sports Confederation of Denmark has announced that it has received new guidelines from the Health Authority and it is removing its ban on activities for sports (DK) that take place outdoors without physical contact. This applies to sports that involve only small groups and that can be conducted according to the general guidelines for the pandemic. For example, people must dress and shower at home and not share equipment. The Health Authority’s ban on sports had applied specifically to indoor sports, but the Sports Confederation itself extended it to cover outdoor sports as well as a precautionary measure. The sports that can reopen include golf, tennis and kayaking, in which few people participate together. Team sports such as soccer that involve physical contact, are still not allowed.

Sex is good

Another physical activity that usually involves few people has also gotten a green light. At a press conference on Monday, Søren Brostrøm, the head of the Danish Health Authority, assured people that there is no ban on sex (DK): “Sex is good. Sex is healthy. We are sexual creatures.” Singles can also have sex, he continued, referring people to the practical guidelines on safe sex on the Health Authority’s web site. The website indeed has an enormous amount of information on all aspects of behavior and social relations during the epidemic. On its FAQ page (DK), it says that the corona virus is not transmitted by semen and blood and that you should protect yourself by “washing your hands (and any sex toys) with soap and water before and after sex and masturbation.” The advisability of wearing masks for singles who are dating is not addressed. 

Coronavirus DK: Taking precautions as business resumes

Today the next phase of the lockdown exit process begins. Professional services and small service businesses can reopen. In many of them, such as hairdressers and physical therapists, it is impossible to avoid physical contact. Yesterday the Minister of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs held a press conference to present the guidelines it has set forth, along with the Health Authority, for minimizing the risk of infection (DK). These are the main principles: 1) Customers must be able to maintain two meters’ distance from one another in the lobby or waiting room. 2) Businesses must post guidelines on good hygiene and a warning that people with Covid-19 symptoms must remain home and they must make hand sanitizer readily available. 3) Employees should be scheduled in such a way that they do not work close to one another, by following staggered schedules or extending business hours. 4) Employees must observe strict rules of hygiene, washing their hands after contact with each customer, sanitizing points of contact on the premises, such as doorknobs, and washing fabrics at 80 degrees Celsius. 5) Employees should avoid sustained face-to-face contact with customers, for example by holding a preliminary conversation at two meters’ distance or by wearing a mask or visor.

Faulty protective equipment

One of the big issues for healthcare staff around the world is getting access to adequate personal protective equipment (PPE). While there is a great demand for products, prices are rising. But at the same time the quality of the PPE is unreliable (DK). The Danish Safety Technology Authority tests the products and has found that many of them must be discarded. For example, of the 20 million masks acquired, 5 million had to be thrown out. Some of the masks and visors fall apart, some do not cover the face correctly, and some don’t have the proper certification or otherwise do not protect against infection. According to Birgitte Nellemann, Purchasing Manager at the Mid-Jutland Region, one problem may be that the manufacturers in China have speeded up production and have not conducted thorough quality assurance.

Anders Kühnau, Chairperson of Mid-Jutland Region, says that Denmark may have higher standards than some other countries, which might want to use the discarded equipment. When asked whether he cold guarantee that the Region would get a refund for the defective equipment, he said, “It is difficult to guarantee anything at all.” The private company Force Technology works with the Safety Technology Authority to test the equipment. It reports that some of the masks do not screen out enough particles and some make it difficult to breathe. The equipment has sometimes been made by firms that have not produced PPE before. 

The Region has begun to ask for a sample of the products before an entire order arrives. Sometimes it finds that if a product is not acceptable at the desired level, it can be used for other purposes. For example, FFP3 masks are supposed to screen out 99 percent of particles, and FFP2 (aka KN95) are supposed to screen out 94 percent. If a shipment of FFP3 masks is not fully effective, it may be possible to use the masks for functions that normally require only FF2 masks.

Doctors are also open for business

People are making appointments with their GPs again (DK) after the prime minister and the head of the Danish Health Authority encouraged them to do so. Doctors had seen a sharp drop in appointments since the lockdown began. Some people with mild illnesses or chronic illnesses had been staying away either because they thought that the doctors were especially busy with Covid-19 patients or they wanted to avoid the risk of infection at doctors’ offices. Doctors’ offices must still follow strict rules for visiting patients, for example patients are screened by telephone and fewer of them can sit in a waiting room. Doctors expect that there may be an increase in the number of patients with Covid-19 symptoms now that segments of the economy are reopening. 

Coronavirus in Denmark: Testing, testing

Testing facilities are being set up (DK) in Fælledparken, Copenhagen’s largest park. They consist of a large complex of tents with three stations for testing people on foot and one drive-in station. There had been no announcement of this measure before police began erecting the tents, installing electrical cables and water pipes, setting up signs and rerouting traffic. The initiative was ordered by NOST, Denmark’s agency for coordinating activities during crises. It is part of the administration’s new testing policy. The facilities in Fælledparken are a prototype that will be copied afterward in other parts of the country.

Scaling up the data 

On Friday, the administration announced a new, comprehensive testing strategy (DK). As I wrote yesterday, the policy on testing has changed a few times and officials from the Health Authority and the Danish Regions have expressed a desire to test significantly more people than were being tested, at least twice as many. The WHO has urged Denmark to increase its testing. The testing will now include a representative sample of the population. Thus far it has been done mainly on people with severe symptoms. With the new policy, it will also be done on people without symptoms.

According to Allan Randrup Thomsen, Professor of Experimental Virology at University of Copenhagen, this will show the breakdown into people who are sick and hospitalized, people who are sick but not hospitalized, people who have been infected but are not sick, and people who have not been infected. That information will be important for the administration’s decisions on reopening parts of society and the economy. It would have been useful to have that information now, when businesses are resuming activities, as a baseline, said Thomsen.

Virtual solidarity 

Fælledparken is also the place where the largest of the International Workers’ Day gatherings take places on May 1. The Danish Trade Union Confederation recently announced that it was canceling this year’s event because of the danger of infection with the corona virus. The Confederation has now announced that the event will be held after all, by livestream on Facebook (DK). Lizette Risgaard, the chairperson of the Confederation, said that these times make it clear that we should be more attentive to those who have the least and must make greater demands on politicians. The event will last one hour. A number of well-known musicians will perform, and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has been invited to hold a speech. This will be the 130th year that the gathering has been held in Denmark. The tradition has been broken only once, in 1940, when Germany began the Occupation.

The tents for testing are reminiscent of those that are set up in Fælledparken every year for the DHL Relay Race, which draws thousands of participants. Today, Sunday, April 19, a “virtual race” called “Denmark Runs” (DK) will be held. It is a race that complies with social distancing rules. Participants will not run on the same route. They will each choose their own route, but they will run at the same time, 11:00 a.m. They can register online to run or walk either 5 km, 10 km or 21.1 km (a half-marathon). They are urged to wear the Danish colors, red and white, along with a number tags they can download and pin on their shirts. The event will be livestreamed, so the runners can follow along with others on their phones – as long as they remember to keep one eye on the traffic.

Coronavirus in Denmark: Has the danger passed?

On Friday, April 17, the Ministry of Health released a list of the healthcare-related professional and service businesses covered by the agreement to expand phase 1 (DK) of the reopening of society and the economy. The businesses may resume normal activities on Monday. The list includes private hospitals and clinics, dentists, physical therapists,  ophthalmologists, psychologists, hairdressers, tattoo parlors and other small services that involve close contact with customers. Other professional services such as law and accounting firms are also covered by the agreement. The first phase of the reopening extends until May 10. The health authorities have not yet seen whether the favorable trend in infections and hospitalizations has changed since the Easter holidays, when families traditionally gather. If the figures worsen, tighter restrictions may be reinstated. Restaurants and bars were not included because they attract larger numbers of people than the customers on the premises of smaller service businesses. 

The ban on gatherings (DK) of more than 10 people is still in place, says the Ministry of Health, and it has been extended until May 12. The ban does not apply to schools, day-care centers and other organizations that are covered by the gradual relaxation of restrictions that began on April 15. More specific guidelines apply to those institutions. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated yet again that the reopening depends on people continuing to follow the guidelines for social distancing. During the Easter holidays, the police issued 56 citations for violations of the limit on gatherings. Watch a pair of cops trying to break up small crowd (DK) enjoying a beer in the sun on the benches by Dronning Louise’s Bridge in Copenhagen. They didn’t fine anyone in this case and generally praised citizens for their cooperation.

A typical flu season?

A report from Statistics Denmark (DK) shows that the number of deaths since the first death in the coronavirus outbreak on March 14 until April 12 is no higher than normal. This year, 4,794 people died during the period. In the same period in 2019, the number was 4,498, and in 2018, it was 5,131. The epidemic thus does not seem to have caused an increase in mortality, says Dorthe Larsen, an official at Statistics Denmark. Larsen cautions, however, that the figures fluctuate from year to year depending on when a wave of influenza hits the country, that additional deaths may be reported, and that it is sometimes unclear whether the cause of death is Covid-19 or another illness. Thus far, 336 people have died from Covid-19, and the number of daily deaths has generally been falling since April 1.

The Greater Copenhagen Region has tested 20,000 healthcare employees (DK) with contact to patients for Covid-19 antibodies. The preliminary results show that the percentage of people infected is around the same as in the general population, as represented by the results of testing blood donors. Some 4.1 percent of the healthcare staff had antibodies, versus 2.9 percent of blood donors, and the difference is considered as being within the margin of error for the test. There may be a variance among individual hospital wards, for example, but Svend Hartling, the head of the Region, hopes that the results will help to allay the staff’s concerns about becoming infected. On Thursday an employee at Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital died of Covid-19.

Not enough testing

The Danish Regions want to expand the testing for Covid-19 (DK). Stephanie Lose, the chairperson for the Regions, said that the Regions have unused capacity for testing. She invited people with mild symptoms to ask their doctors for a test and urged doctors to refer people for tests. Søren Brostrøm, the head of the Health Agency, has said that he would like to test 10,000 people per day. The number tested has risen to around 6,700 but in recent days has fallen to 3,500. The policy has changed a couple of times and has perhaps been unclear for both GPs and patients. The priority has been testing healthcare personnel, but recently people with mild symptoms were supposed to be tested. The only person I know of who has requested a test had cold symptoms for three weeks. Her GP rejected at least two requests, and she arranged to be tested at a private clinic. 

Coronavirus in Denmark: Normalization proceeds apace

On Thursday evening, the Danish administration negotiated an agreement (DK) with all of the other parliamentary parties to reopen additional sectors of the economy besides the schools and day-care centers. The agreement to expand the first phase of the reopening was based on a memorandum issued by Statens Serum Institut (SSI), the agency under the Ministry of Health responsible for handling infectious diseases. The memorandum presented scenarios of the risk of further infection under the relaxation of various restrictions. The other parties, which were not consulted about the original reopening plan, were generally satisfied with the agreement, although some had hoped that even more restrictions would be lifted. The announcement was made in press release (DK) and in a post on Prime Minister’s Mette Frederiksen’s Facebook page, which includes what appears to be an automatic translation into English (for example, a very happy emoji is rendered as “I’m sorry”).

Time for that overdue haircut

The revised guidelines take effect on Monday, April 20. The main economic segment that can resume activities is professional services and certain small service businesses such as hairdressers and driver education.  Courts and research laboratories can also open on April 20. The agreement allows for initiatives to resume visits to the elderly and provide support for distressed children and families. The agreement also calls for the establishment of “sector partnerships” under which other industry associations and organizations can negotiate with the authorities on the timing and degree of reopening. The SSI recommended against opening restaurants and boarding schools.

As an adjunct to the relaxation of restrictions, SSI set forth a strategy for testing frontline staff, vulnerable groups, relatives of patients, and representative sample of the population in order to monitor the spread of the infection. Negotiations on phase two of the reopening will begin next week.

Both the administration and the SSI stress the importance of continuing social distancing. Some observers, for example Allan Randrup Thomsen, Professor of Experimental Virology at the University of Copenhagen, warn that there is a danger that people will interpret the expanded reopening plan to mean that the danger has passed and that they can resume their old habits. SSI’s memorandum (DK) showed estimates of the number of hospitalizations if the population continued to practice social distancing, if only half practiced it, and if none did. Even under the second scenario, with half the population adhering to the guidelines, the number of hospitalizations and ICU patients would continue to decline. According to the SSI’s model, if professional services resume normal activities, the chances that in three months hospitalizations would be above the current level was less than 20 percent.

Nurseries without teddy bears

On Wednesday, many schools and day-care centers across Denmark reopened. About half of the municipalities requested additional time before opening. Children were described as being happy to see their friends again but sometimes disappointed that they couldn’t hug. Teachers and day-care staff were adjusting to the new guidelines, for example that desks are two meters apart and pupils could not gather in groups of more than two inside and five outside. 

The kindergartens and nurseries were struggling with the extensive rules on limiting contact. For example, parents could not enter the facilities, and children could not bring extra clothing or their own teddy bears and toys. They had to sit two meters apart and were allowed to play only with plastic toys that could be washed frequently. Staff meetings have to be held outside or by telephone. Denmark is the first country in Europe to reopen its schools. Austria, which allowed the resumption of small businesses this week, will not reopen the schools until next month.

Coronavirus in Denmark: Testing and experimenting

On April 15, an antibody test (DK) was offered to 40,000 hospital staff in Greater Copenhagen with contact to patients. The test will clarify whether the staff who previously stayed home with mild cold symptoms actually had the virus. It will also show which hospital departments are the riskiest and allow staff to take additional precautions. Later it will be offered to hospital staff in the rest of the country. The test has been used on blood donors to get an estimate of how many have been infected beyond the confirmed cases. Thus far, the level is about 2.1 percent. The measure is an indication of herd immunity that can help the authorities decide when to relax restrictions on commercial activity and gatherings. The test is a simple blood test that shows the result in 15 minutes. Although researchers believe that people with antibodies are immune to the virus, those with positive results are advised not to change their behavior and to continue to practice social distancing.

Earlier there had been problems acquiring reliable tests (DK). A large delivery of tests from China was delayed, and another test produced 23 percent false negatives.

Quest for a treatment

Researchers are preparing to begin treating Covid-19 patients with plasma (DK). Martin Tolstrup from the Institute for Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University says that they are now testing the plasma to see whether it stops the virus. The plasma is expected to be given to patients in one or two weeks, and the results will be available in a few months. Researchers around the world are working on similar projects. The method is promising because it can be implemented quickly on a large scale. 

Meanwhile, researchers at two Copenhagen hospitals are conducting an experiment with an arthritis medicine (DK). They hope that the drug will prevent or reduce lung infections and thereby shorten the time that patients need treatment. That will increase the capacity of the entire healthcare system because patients who require oxygen that put pressure on hospital facilities, says  Lars Erik Vølund Kristensen, head of research at the Parker Institute at Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital. The results of the experiment will not be ready for six months, and the amount of time required depends on how many patients can be recruited for the study. Ironically, Denmark’s success in holding the number of infections down has limited researchers’ ability to conduct experiments on possible treatments. But researchers and doctors in several larger countries are interested in seeing the data from the experiment.

Shortages of patients and customers

Danish hospitals have had high unused capacity (DK) during the crisis because there have been fewer infections than were first forecast when the administration ordered the lockdown on March 13. For example, four wards were prepared for Covid-19 patients at Aarhus University Hospital and only one has been used. Hospitals took fewer patients for other treatments and procedures, and staff were trained for treating Covid-19 patients. It is unfortunate that some other patients have had their treatments postponed, says Kurt Espersen, head of the South Denmark Region, but it is of course positive that the number of serious coronavirus infections is lower than had been expected. This was the right decision, maintains Espersen, because the priority was to avoid the kind of pressure on the hospital system that was occurring in Italy and Spain at that time. 

When shops reopen, they are expected to hold large clearance sales. Since the lockdown began on March 13, sales of clothing have fallen (DK) 50 percent and sales of shoes have fallen a full 90 percent. Retail businesses have set discounts on goods on their webshops, but they have not made a dent in their inventory, which peaks in the spring months. They have ordered new collections that will arrive before the current ones are sold. A significant amount of their sales normally go to tourists, and there is no outlook for tourists in Denmark yet. Retailers fear that they may need to hold clearance sales for the entire summer.

The monarchy endures

Today is Queen Margrethe II's 80th birthday. The customary gathering at Amalienborg Palace Square to wave at her on the balcony has been been canceled, but she will hold a brief interview on TV. In the evening her sons and their wives will visit her, keeping a safe distance, while her grandchildren will send their greetings on social media. 

Coronavirus in Denmark: Restrictions to be eased further

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and others held a press conference on Tuesday (DK), the day before the reopening of schools and day-care centers. She reported that the number of hospitalizations and ICU patients are declining more quickly than expected and that the country can open up slightly more in next phase than it had planned. She did not specify what restrictions would be relaxed but said that the administration’s focus was on workplaces and the economy. Frederiksen seemed relieved, more relaxed and confident – even happy – as she announced the change in the administration’s outlook. She defended its conservative policy, praised people for their cooperation in observing the social distancing guidelines during the Easter holidays, and reiterated the necessity of continuing the practice.

R0 shrinking to a safe level

Statens Serum Institut released a report yesterday afternoon on the status of the infection with an estimate of the R0 rate (DK), that is, the rate of infection from an individual Covid-19 patient. The rate had fallen from 2.6 persons on March 12 to 1.4 persons on March 24, to 0.9 on April 7, when Frederiksen presented the reopening plan, and further to 0.6. A level below 1.0 means that the virus is not spreading. At the press conference, Kåre Mølbak, from the Institute, said that the positive trend was owing in particular to the behavior of people in the 70-80-year-old age group (DK), who followed the administration’s guidelines and avoided infection. He added that the infection rate would rise to about 0.8 after the first stage of lifting restrictions but would remain under control. 

Frederiksen invited representatives of the other political parties to a meeting immediately after the press conference to discuss how to expand the reopening. She had previously been criticized for not including other parties in the decision on the extent of the first phase of reopening, and yesterday, as the figures on infections and deaths continued to decline, she came under pressure to ease up (DK) further on the restrictions. The administration had chosen to follow the most cautious of the three policies that the Ministry Health set forth for the first phase of the reopening, which is scheduled to run until May 10.

Professional services and small businesses could be next

 At the subsequent meeting, the parties had many and various recommendations for relaxing (DK) the restrictions. The Liberal Alliance Party favored opening professional services as well as restaurants that can adhere to precautionary principles. The Danish People’s Party emphasized the need for contact among older people who have been isolated and sometimes become lonely and depressed. The Socialist People’s Party and the Social Liberals recommended opening adult education, the courts and small businesses such as hairdressers and dentists. Other parties urged opening of outdoor clubs, afterschool workshops and other educational institutions. The New Right had a detailed plan for accelerating the reopening schedule to cover almost everything by May 20. No conclusions were reached at the meeting.

This good news came after reports yesterday that the four largest municipalities in the country, including Copenhagen, would not follow the Health Authority’s recommendation that children from households with infected people should attend school. After many parents and several political parties expressed concerns about the policy, Minister of Health Magnus Heunicke announced that it was changing the guidelines to allow such children to stay home. Teachers and day-care staff with sick family members in their homes were still expected to work, however, because they should be able to maintain good hygiene.

Coronavirus in Denmark: Returning to normal – gradually

On Monday, Minister of Health Magnus Heunicke announced that the healthcare system would begin resuming normal operations (DK) this week. Ordinary activities have been suspended since the outbreak of the epidemic, but now the epidemic is considered to be under control and the system has the capacity to treat other health issues as well. Patients normally have a right to be treated within 30 days. A backlog of cases needing treatment by both GPs and specialists has accumulated during the crisis, including thousands of elective surgery procedures. 

The administration reached an agreement with organizations representing the Regions, the Municipalities and the Danish Medical Association but not with the other political parties. Last week, the opposition parties called for concrete measures to reestablish patient rights.  Heunicke stated that he wished that the administration could have reached a broad agreement on reopening the system with the other parties, but the “political will” was lacking. The Ministry of Health has not set a date for formally reinstating the treatment guarantee. The chairman of the Danish Medical Association, Anders Rudkjøbing, stated that it would be irresponsible to reinstate the guarantee (DK) now because the system cannot yet operate at full normal capacity.

Are recovered patients immune?

The health authorities are working hard on an antibody test (DK) that will show whether recovered Covid-19 patients have acquired immunity to the disease. According to Martin Tolstrup from the Institute for Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University, who heads the project, most people who are infected develop antibodies, but it is not yet certain that they have developed immunity. His group is applying antibodies to live viruses in petri dishes to see whether the antibodies kill the viruses. This is an important issue, not only because the results will determine whether recovered patients, including healthcare personnel, can return to work. Plasma from patients with strong antibodies could also be used as a treatment for new Covid-19 patients. But that part of the project could take up to a year, says Tolstrup, around the same amount of time for a vaccine to be developed and approved.

Margrethe Vestager, the European Minister for Competition, has recommended that EU member states be prepared to take stakes in private companies because there is a risk that China will attempt to take over companies that are in a distressed financial condition because of the epidemic. Vestager, who is the former chair of the Danish Social Liberal Party, was speaking generally and not in reference to Denmark in particular. But DR’s business correspondent Jakob Ussing says that the warning applies to Denmark (DK) as well as to the larger European countries. China has had an interest in acquiring infrastructure and technology companies. After the financial crisis, a Chinese company bought Greece’s largest harbor, in Piræus, for example. China is interested in green energy, one of the fields in which Denmark excels, and a Chinese company has already acquired a tower plant from Vestas, Denmark’s leading wind energy firm.

Man’s Humans’ best friend in a crisis

International business competition is not the only area where a watchdog is needed. The Dansk Kennel Club reports a large rise – around 40 percent – in demand for dogs (DK) since the lockdown. Other dog breeders have seen similar interest, and animal shelters have fewer occupants than usual because of adoptions. According to breeders, the reasons that people want dogs now are that they have more time for pets at home under quarantine and they are not making plans for summer travel. A spokesman for Animal Protection Denmark, Jens Jokumsen, however, warns that a pet should not be an impulse purchase. People must also be prepared to care for it after the epidemic ends. They should also take time to consider what is the best breed for their family. 

Coronavirus Easter in Denmark: Shopping, prayers, beer and sex

A few days ago, when Tanja Wadmann Gade saw many tourists on the west coast of Jutland who were not complying with the government’s restrictions on social distancing, she posted a video from her car on Facebook (DK) to refresh their memory. “What the hell is going on here?” it began. Most of the 2,000 comments on the post were favorable, but many weren’t. Gade finally decided to remove the video and posted a second one in which she explained that “when disagreement becomes hate, you have to draw the line and put an end to it.”

On Easter weekend in Denmark, Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday are holidays. That means that people are used to shopping heavily at supermarkets and other stores on Saturday. Many customers at Bilka, the country’s answer to Walmart, were shocked at the crowds (DK). “It was like Christmas shopping. . . . If I get the coronavirus, it will be today.” Bilka’s management said that it had posted the government’s guidelines on social distancing, that staff were assigned to enforce them, and that the police had been to several branches to check that conditions were satisfactory.

Drive-in worship, open bar

Ordinary Easter church services were canceled this year because of the lockdown, but several congregations held drive-in services (DK) in their parking lots. Churches in Aarhus went together on a joint service at a drive-in movie theater. Attendees sang hymns in their cars and honked their horns in unison during the service.

There was a long line in front of the Admiral pub in Silkeborg, Jutland, which gave away a supply of draft beer (DK) that was passing its sell-by date because the pub has been closed during the lockdown. People seemed to be in a festive mood as they showed up with pitchers from home. The pub’s owner, Kenn Jørgensen, had posted signs reminding people to keep two meters’ distance from one another and let only a few into the pub at a time, but many people stood close together. The police were on hand to see that things didn’t get out of control. “We have put the place on the map,” said Jørgensen.

Yesterday, Easter Sunday, the administration held a meeting with right-wing opposition parties to negotiate the reopening the healthcare system (DK). The latter were dissatisfied with the administration’s lack of concrete measures to reestablish patient rights and broke off the negotiations. The healthcare system has suspended much of its normal operations in order to manage the demands of the Covid-19 epidemic, but it now has vacant capacity. The opposition says it wants more than vague statements of intentions and wants private hospitals to be used to handle the demand that has accumulated since the lockdown went into effect.

Passing the time in captivity

It’s no surprise that some shifts take place in the economy during the lockdown. The airlines are struggling; sales of protective gloves and toilet paper are soaring. Another business that’s doing very well is sex toys. In the first week of April, Sinful, the biggest retailer in the field in Scandinavia, saw revenues double over the level last year. Its line of multiple-day challenges is especially popular. The company’s founder, Mathilde Mackowski, is glad that she can offer something that helps people get through the crisis.