Coronavirus DK: Denmark finally recommends masks

The Danish Health Authority is now recommending the use of face masks (DK) for the first time, but only in selected situations. The agency updated its guidelines on Thursday with this announcement: “People can use face masks for short periods in special situations in order to protect others from the coronavirus.” It is thus not recommending that everyone wear masks, that people wear them in all situations, or that people wear them in order to protect themselves. The announcement cites the change in the WHO’s guidelines last month to recommend the use of masks in certain situations on the basis of new knowledge about the spread of the infection.

The Authority advises that masks be used in situations where you cannot follow the general recommendations, on social distancing for example. They are most important for people who are infected, who have symptoms, or who have been exposed to someone who might be infected.

Photo: Coronavirus.dk.

These are the situations:

• You are infected or have symptoms and must leave isolation in order to travel to or from a hospital.
• You are returning home from traveling to a high-risk country and must undergo self-isolation.
• You are in close contact with someone who is infected and must break self-isolation in order to transport you to a test.
• You are related to a person with elevated risk and cannot maintain physical distance, for example because you must care for the person.

The Authority stresses that it is crucial to wear masks correctly, to follow good hand hygiene when putting them on, to change them after every use, and to have a good supply if you need to wear them.

“Masks must be seen as an extra tool in the workbox,” the announcement concludes. “There are other, more effective tools, for example self-isolation if you are sick, keeping 1 meter’s distance, and adhering to good hygiene.” The Authority has produced a folder and a poster (DK) on the correct use of masks.

Tracing app is spreading

On June 18, the Ministry of Health released the Smittestop app, which is intended to monitor the spread of coronavirus and warn people who come into proximity of it. It has now been downloaded 745,000 times (DK), and people have registered their infection 112 times. The Ministry did not disclose the number of notifications.

According to researchers, the number of downloads is satisfactory and the number of infections registered is not so low considering Denmark’s low reproduction rate, but they hope to see more downloads. They are preparing models based on the spread of the virus that the government can use to determine what to keep open and closed in society and the economy. “If there is a new outbreak, we can make fewer interventions if the app is in widespread use,” says Jacob Stoustrup, Professor at the Institute for Electronic Systems at Aalborg University. 

As described in an earlier post, when you are in close proximity for 15 minutes with someone who is registered as positive for the virus, the app sends you a notification. The notification does not include the name of the infected person, and the data are encrypted, anonymous and stored only on individual phones. Researchers would prefer having more data available but acknowledge the need for privacy.

Not everyone can download the app. It requires a phone with Android 6.0 or iOS 13.5. 

Coronavirus DK: Entertainment industry on the ropes

Concert halls, theaters, clubs and other venues with live entertainment are warning that many of them will not survive (DK) unless the government changes its plans for reopening. These cultural organizations are still closed and are receiving compensation for fixed expenses and salaries. They are scheduled to reopen in phase 4 at the beginning of August. But the restrictions that they will need to operate under will make it impossible for many of them to make a profit or break even. 

The guidelines state that there must be 4 square meters’ space for each guest. The club Stars in the town of Vordingborg, for example, has capacity for an audience of 430 standing guests, but according to the coronavirus rule, it can admit only 50 people. “If we can’t fill the room, we can’t pay the musicians for playing and we can’t pay our bills,” says Simon Sandfield, who runs the club.

Politicians will rescue disco

“We’re being asked to open, but also asked to die,” says Eben Marcher, the head of Danske Live, an organization that represents cultural venues with live entertainment. “If we can let only one out of ten guests in, it can’t be a viable business.” Marcher estimates that half of these venues could go bankrupt.

MPs from both the opposition and the government’s supporting parties are listening to the warnings and calling on the Minister of Culture to take action before phase 4 begins. “We need a government and a minister that take responsibility and show leadership,” says Zenia Stampe of the Social Liberal Party. Minister of Culture Joy Mogensen responded in an email that if the restrictions are still necessary after the summer, the Ministry will consider how it can help cultural life. It invited Dansk Live and Danske Theater to a meeting on Wednesday.

Amusement park operators are not amused

Another segment of the Danish leisure economy is already suffering financially after reopening. Sommerlande are amusement parks (DK) for children that open in the summer; they have lodging, swimming pools and other recreational activities for young families. They are found in every region of the country, and they are reporting that they had many fewer guests than normal last week, the beginning of summer vacation for the schools. They opened six weeks later than usual, and they have had no foreign tourists, which account for one-quarter of their 12 million visits annually. 

They are also operating under other disadvantageous conditions, explains Søren Kragelund, the head of the amusement parks’ industry association. They have extra expenses for following hygienic requirements, and they are also subject to “unfair” competition. Under the government’s stimulus package, cultural institutions such as museums and zoos receive subsidies so that they can offer admission at half price. Amusement parks must demand full price and are losing customers to these other offerings.

“We’re talking about [organizations] that often already receive support and don’t risk going bankrupt,” says Kåre Dyvekær, the head of Sommerland Sjælland. There is some hope for improvement, though, as repeat customers with seasonal passes return. The weather was also very rainy last week. A sampling of museums and zoos revealed that they also had lower than usual attendance then.

Coronavirus DK: Sunny Beachhead for the virus

Even though the coronavirus is well under control in Denmark (as I have written at the start of several posts), there’s always something to be worried about. This week it’s the 150 or so young Danes who have taken to beach resorts in Bulgaria (DK) to party their brains out and who risk bringing the stealthy pathogens back to Denmark. Recently, advertisements by a travel agency for wild dance floors in discotheques at a favorite destination drew the ire of politicians and healthcare researchers for being irresponsible in the coronavirus era. 

“Tired of everything you can’t do in Denmark?” read the ad from DUF travel agency (DK). “At Sunny Beach you can: Party with more than 2,000 other young people. Be at a club all night. Pool party. Boat party.” 

The concerns of the grownups turned out to be justified. The ads were withdrawn, but they had infected their targets. “There are a lot of rules at home now that they don’t have here in the same way,” said one partygoer, Lasse Birch Cassen, “so down here we can really let go like we can’t at home.”

Melting pot of infection

According to the government’s current advisory, travel to Bulgaria, an EU member state, is still permitted. But the country, like the US and some others, is setting records for new infections this week. So the Foreign Ministry is warning travelers to be “extra careful.” Virologist Allan Randrup Thomsen sees a clear parallel to the situation at the ski resorts in Ischgl, Austria, that set off the pandemic in Europe in February: “What we are afraid of is that there is a single superspreader at one of these beach parties and 20-30-40-50 can quickly become infected.”

At places like that, visitors from many countries can create a “melting pot of infection,” says Søren Riis Paludan, another virologist. “The problem is that young people may not show symptoms. . . go under the radar and infect others.” Riis Paludan compares the situation to the one in Florida, where young people were responsible for much of the spread of the infection.

Driven outdoors

After the criticism, the agency changed its tune, “directly recommending that our guests not go to nightclubs” and suggesting instead “the large open-air beach bars,” said managing director Anders Marcuslund.” According to the Bulgarian coronavirus rules, people are to maintain a social distance of 1.5 meters, and if that is not possible, to wear a face mask, which none of the people on the dance floors in the photos seem to be doing.

The Foreign Ministry is following the situation carefully, and officials urge returning travelers to be tested and to isolate themselves until they get a negative test.

Not our fault

On Thursday, the Bulgarian government decided to ban indoor nightclubs (DK) and allow outdoor beach bars to operate at only 50 percent capacity. While some young Danes were annoyed at the restrictions, others didn’t think it would make any difference for them. DUF’s Marcuslund fully endorses the move: “We were of course one step ahead of the Bulgarian authorities.”

When reminded that the guests are still getting drunk, dancing close together, hugging one another and sharing drinks – those “buckets” with several straws in them – Marcuslund maintains that the agency advises people to follow the guidelines but that they are also a “personal responsibility,” concluding, “I don’t think it’s much worse than what you see at home.”

Coronavirus DK: New passport, roller coasters, tweeting praise

Danes can now get a COVID-19 passport (DK) if they have tested negative for the coronavirus in the past seven days. They can use it to travel to countries that require such documentation. As soon as the lab has processed your test and released the results, you can go to sundhed.dk (DK), the website where everyone’s health information is stored, and download the passport, which has a document validation number and can be printed. 

Not all countries will recognize this document, however. Some have special requirements, for example that you use their own official form for test results and have it signed by a doctor. You should find out the regulations in force in any country that you are traveling to or through. You can see them on the Danish embassy’s website for the country in question. You can order a test for the coronavirus at coronaprover.dk (DK), which has an English version.

Masks as passport to fun

But if you want to ride a roller coaster at Djursland Sommerland, an amusement park in mid-Jutland, a COVID-19 passport won’t be enough. You will also need a face mask (DK). Face masks have not been mandatory in Denmark and are seen very rarely outside of hospitals and perhaps nursing homes. Since it opened one month ago, Djursland Sommerland has been able to load its roller coasters only to one-quarter of their capacity. It has now received permission from the government and the Patient Safety Authority to make this experiment and fill up the Dragon King with screaming riders. 

“There is no doubt that it is more fun to stand in line for a ride for only ten minutes instead of an hour,” says Henrik B. Nielsen, the director of the amusement park. All the amusement parks in the country are eligible to take part in the experiment. The masks cost an extra DKK 5 ($1), and they can be used only for one ride. “We don’t earn anything from selling these masks,” says Nielsen. “And the policy has actually been very well received by our guests.”

Him again

Danish media have noticed that the word “Denmark” has popped up in a tweet from a country where face masks are becoming the occasion of a civil war, more precisely, from the White House. Along with Germany, Norway and Sweden, the country was cited because “SCHOOLS ARE OPEN WITH NO PROBLEMS.” Trump threatened to withhold funding for school districts that don’t hold ordinary classes when the school year resumes.

This comes at a time when the US is setting records for new COVID-19 cases and a couple of days after the Orwellian president claimed that the US death rate was “just about THE LOWEST IN THE WORLD!” He may have been too busy playing golf these days to notice that no one has been envying the epidemic conditions in Sweden for some time.

Coronavirus DK: Big race canceled and a letter from the Devil

Today the government’s limit on gatherings was raised (DK) from 50 to 100 people. That was according to an agreement made one month ago. The limit will be increased further to 200 people on August 8. Researchers think lifting the restriction is reasonable since the infection rate in the country has fallen very low, but they warn that the virus is still circulating and the great majority of people are vulnerable to it. They urge people to maintain social distancing and good hand hygiene. By mid-June the police had issued 836 fines for violating the limit.

Wait till next year

The gradual increase of the limit is not enough to save the Copenhagen Half Marathon (DK) this year, though. The arrangers decided that it would not be responsible to unleash 25,000 runners onto the streets of the capital as planned on September 13. They were annoyed that they had not received guidelines from the government on the conditions for holding the race. Almost half the participants are from abroad, and many do not know how they stand in relation to the current rules on travel and lodging, explain the arrangers, Sparta and Dansk Athletics. They considered postponing the event until later in the year, but the uncertainty would remain and the weather could be worse. 

The Copenhagen Half received much attention last year, when it sold out for the first time and the world record was broken (DK). Kenyan Geoffrey Kamworor ran the distance in 58:01. “People in the running scene began to compare us with the Berlin Marathon, the London Marathon and the New York Marathon,” says Dorte Vibjerg, Sparta’s managing director. “And we want to preserve the brand that we have developed.” Earlier in the year, the DHL Relay Race, the world’s largest, with more than 200,000 participants, was also canceled. The CPH Half is scheduled to resume in 2021.

Bribe from the “world’s most dangerous man”

An American living in Denmark got a surprise in her mailbox – a letter with a check for $1,200 (DK) from Donald Trump. “It was confusing, it was incredible, and I was insulted,” said Amy Faircloth, an anthropologist who has lived here for 45 years. The payment was part of the $2 trillion US relief package. Some 160 million citizens are to receive up to $1,200 to help them survive the coronavirus pandemic financially. That includes $2.5 billion for American citizens who live abroad, since they are also liable for income tax in the US. 

But the letter itself was disconcerting. It was presented in Trump’s “grandiloquent” style “as if it were his money that he was giving to me personally,” said Faircloth, and the signature “resembled a seismogram of a very bad earthquake.” In his notoriously crude and narcissistic fashion, Trump had insisted that his name appear on the check. But Faircloth believes that if he thinks he can buy votes that way, he is mistaken: “Actually, I think the problems in the US are that people don’t listen to one another. People are convinced that Donald Trump is a savior, and others think he’s the Devil himself.”

The check arrived just as the contents of the latest book about Trump, by Mary Trump, his niece and a clinical psychologist, are being disclosed. The book may offer the most detailed portrayal yet of Trump’s many pathological traits throughout his life.

Coronavirus DK: Life on the streets - some surprise findings

During the coronavirus crisis, people in minority and vulnerable groups have been subject to an increase in hateful behavior. The Institute for Human Rights released a report (DK) on how ethnic minorities, LGBT+ persons and disabled persons have experienced harassment, threats and violence since the epidemic began. It shows a distinct rise in such incidents. Some are related to the virus, for example, “Go home, China!” sometimes directed at an adopted person of Korean ancestry who grew up in Denmark.

Opportunistic bigotry

But others seem unrelated. Same-sex couples might be told to maintain a distance between them. “The corona epidemic simply shows that many Danes have a very heteronormative understanding of gender,” says Susanne Branner Jespersen, head of the Secretariat at LGBT+ Danmark. A blind person who inadvertently comes too close to someone on the sidewalk becomes the recipient of an unpleasant remark. The Institute hopes to use the report to develop new guidelines in case crisis conditions return.

Reducing violence

Corona conditions have led to another discovery about social behavior: When bars and nightclubs were closed during the strict lockdown, from mid-March to mid-April, reports of violence fell 31 percent (DK). That was the finding from a collaborative study by the police, Southern Denmark University and the Crime Prevention Council. “We could consider how late we serve alcohol, for example,” said one of the researchers. The Social Democrats’  spokesperson for legal affairs suggested limiting the period when hard liquor is served, but his opposite number from the Danish People’s Party viewed such a step as breaching a basic freedom. 

Denmark has fairly liberal business hours for bars and clubs. They are up to the individual municipalities, and some are open until 6:00 a.m., which is much longer than in neighboring countries. Several studies have shown that incidents of violence and ER visits decline for every hour that business hours are curtailed. On May 18, restaurants and bars were allowed to reopen and operate until midnight. Nightclubs and discotheques are still closed.

Or domesticating violence?

But if people are forced to leave clubs, which have professional security staff, they will just continue to party elsewhere without supervision, notes Kirsten Munch Andersen of Horesta, the hospitality industry association. The number of complaints about behavior in private homes – noise, violence and other problems – rose 42 percent during the strict lockdown period.

Model coronavirus citizens

To the surprise of both social workers and healthcare researchers, very few homeless people in Denmark have become infected (DK) with the coronavirus. Along with Aarhus Municipality and Aarhus University Hospital, Kirkens Korshær, an organization similar to the Salvation Army, tested 400 drug abusers, homeless people and other vulnerable persons and did not find a single infection in the municipality.

The situation is similar in Copenhagen, says Kim Allan Jensen of an interest organization for the homeless, because they have taken the hygiene guidelines seriously. Previously, “you could see 50 people standing together drinking beer. . . . Now you see five here and five over there. You could say it’s a new drinking culture.” The only explanation for it is social distancing, says virologist Søren Riis Paludan.

Coronavirus DK: Real soccer fans stick together

Just because the coronavirus has been brought under control in Denmark, that doesn’t mean that Danes are supernaturally conscientious and disciplined about maintaining social distancing and following other healthcare recommendations. When given a chance, they can also go amuck (DK). That’s what happened during the Danish Cup Final, the culmination of the soccer season. When the Premier League resumed play on May 28, only 500 fans were allowed to attend matches and they had to abide by social distancing provisions. Since the first matches went well, the limit was raised. The Minister of Justice decided that up to 750 tickets could be allotted for each team’s fans at a match between Aalborg (AaB) and SonderjyskE in Esbjerg last week.

Showing their team some enthusiasm

About a half hour after the match began, Aalborg fans left their assigned seats and crowded together (DK). They sang, waved flags and launched flares as they used to do in the good old days. After they ignored several announcements over the loudspeakers directing them back to their seats, the referee stopped play. Stadium security guards tried to escort them back to their proper places. AaB’s assistant coaches ran over and tried to persuade them to cooperate. But 44 fans were unruly and were ejected from the stadium and arrested. They were put on a bus and driven home to Aalborg, accompanied by the police.

Aalborg fans in Esbjerg. Photo: Claus Fisker/Ritzau Scanpix

Can soccer fans behave?

The incident was disappointing for officials who had worked to get spectators back in the stands. The number of tickets allotted depends on the size of the stadium, and up to 10,000 would be allowed into Parken, the largest stadium, in Copenhagen. They must now evaluate the policy.

“It was chaotic. That’s the most appropriate word I can think of,” says Christian Rothman, the chair of the Danish Soccer Fans association. “We must be honest so that we can try to understand how it escalated like that.” Rothman, a diehard AaB fan himself, attended the match and watched events unfold. A set of fans belonging to an unoffical group called “Auxilia” decided that if they couldn’t watch the match on their own terms, they wouldn’t stay, and that is when the police intervened.

Competing stories

The next day, Auxilia had its own interpretation (DK) of the incident: When its members left the stadium peacefully in order to allow the match to resume, they were met by a very aggressive police force that used violent measures against them. A video that went viral shows a cop hitting one fan with a baton after he was already lying on the ground.

The explanation from the Southern Jutland police (DK) was of course somewhat different. It describes the unruly fans trying to break doors and windows on their way out of the stadium. The police pacified them and set them on the ground in a long row. It seemed a little strange to a virologist, Søren Riis Paludan of Aarhus University, that they should be ejected from the stadium for standing too close together and then placed so close together again by the police afterward. But if they were all facing in the same direction, it wasn’t so bad, he said.

The fans asked to sit like that themselves, said the police. “They said it was a strain to sit without leaning up against each other. Since the same fans had sat on the bus from Aalborg together, stood together, walked together and had been at a bar together, they were allowed to stay where they were sitting.”

The match was stopped for 15 minutes with the score 0-0. When it resumed, SonderjyskE scored and went on to post its first win in the Final, 2-0. The spectator attendance experiment ended 1-0 to Alcohol over Social Distancing.

Coronavirus DK: It's party time, virus be damned

In recent days we have seen photos of packed beaches in the UK and headlines scolding the Brits for flouting social distancing principles. On Friday, the hottest day of the year and the beginning of school vacation, it was Denmark’s turn to be tempted by the water. People took to the beaches (DK) and open areas along the canal. In some spots they lay on towels less than one meter from one another, but few were worried about the risk of infection.

“It seems like there is better control of it [the coronavirus] here than in the UK,” said one. “I wouldn’t have done this a month ago,” said another. Most seem to think people should try to return to normal habits again, as long as they’re reasonably careful. They had sanitizer with them, and if someone came too close, they would edge away. In contrast, there is plenty of space at the beaches in western Jutland.

Upholding traditions

This is the week for high school graduation (DK). I have written about the graduates getting permission to ride around town in a large trailer carousing and making a racket. There are several other traditions connected to the event, and some of them may not be advisable while the coronavirus is still at large in the country. “It’s a matter of how large a risk you accept in order not to ruin the traditions,” says Søren Riis Paludan, Professor of Virology and Immunology at Aarhus University, who was asked to evaluate the dangers of the various practices.

• Graduation ceremony: A potential superspreader event. Hundreds of people sit close together indoors. The graduates shake hands with the principal when they receive their diplomas. Some schools have taken the precaution of making them drive-in events.

• Trailer ride: An obvious risk because the young people stand close to one another yelling and cheering, but it helps that the trailers are open.

• Jumping in fountains: Not much additional risk, unless someone who is infected splashes others. But if more than one class goes in the same fountain, they could create new chains of infection.

• Biting hat brims: That’s right, the studenterhue (high school graduate cap) is the main symbol of graduation, and classmates bite on the brims of one another’s hats. It's  supposed to bring luck, so many may have trouble foregoing those teeth marks  despite the clear risk.

• Buffets: On the drive around town, the young people stop at everyone’s home, where the parents serve them snacks and drinks. Sharing food, such as large bowls of chips, is certainly a bad idea. It should be divided up into separate portions. There is also a separate risk for parents, who are more likely to develop a serious illness than the young people. They should keep their distance.

• Beer pong: Let’s see, should you drink from a glass of beer after a ping pong ball handled by several people lands in it?

• Sharing drinks throughout the day and evening: It’s very common to pass around a bottle of Carlsberg. “That’s obvious – you should avoid it,” says Riis Paludan. “We’re almost back with the whistle in Ischgl.” Ischgl is the Austrian ski resort where bartenders used referee’s whistles to get through a thick crowd and let customers try them. Hundreds or thousands of Europeans, including at least 139 Danes, caught the infection there in February and March.

Coronavirus DK: Backlash against packed demonstration

After seeing news reports and video clips of thousands of demonstrators crowded together on Sunday to protest against racism and police brutality in the US, many people reacted with outrage and criticism (DK). In comment fields and on social media, they expressed surprise that so many were indifferent to the risks they ran for both themselves and others. Government officials and healthcare researchers were also concerned. 

“After we kept the elderly in nursing homes isolated, people have gone bankrupt, children have not been in school, 15,000 people run out and rub against one another just when we are about to get control of the infections. IT IS INSANE,” tweeted former Minister of Justice Søren Pind. 

“Grotesque!” concurred Kristian Thulesen Dahl (DK) from the Danish People’s Party. “I think it’s unbelievable that people were not able to keep their distance,” said Karsten Hønge, political spokesperson for the Socialist People’s Party, who attended the demonstration himself.

On Facebook (DK), people wrote that they were angry that while they unable to visit sick relatives and there was a strict limit on how many could attend the funeral of an old friend, there were apparently no rules or common sense at the demonstration. “It shows a lack of respect.” 

“‘But what about corona?’ asked my four-year-old child when she watched the news,” a parent tweeted (DK). “She is much wiser than about 15,000 grown-ups.”

Quarantine yourself and get tested

Jesper Petersen, political spokesperson for the Social Democrats, said that the participants should be tested for the coronavirus. People were within their rights to exercise their freedom of assembly for a political purpose and there was no law that said they had to be tested, Petersen added, but they might as well use the testing capacity that has been set up and is available to everyone.

“If you know someone who is in a high-risk group, you should be responsible and go into quarantine in order to make sure that you haven’t become infected,” said Thea Kølsen Fischer, head of research at North Zealand Hospital, warning that such events were prime occasions for superspreading. MP Rosa Lund from the Red-Green Party, who took part in the demonstration, said she will be tested.

Health minister less concerned

Minister of Health Magnus Heunicke (DK), on the other hand, did not think that everyone necessarily needed to be tested. “It depends on who you are in contact with on a daily basis and what you have done at this demonstration. . . . If you have kept your distance from others and been calm, then you should just be aware of symptoms.”

Leaders of Black Lives Matter Denmark, which arranged the event, did not respond to inquiries from reporters. One of the speakers at the gathering, Roger Courage Matthisen, said that the organization encouraged demonstrators to wear face masks and practice social distancing. “Afterward, it is up to citizens to take responsibility for how they will behave at this demonstration.” The organization is planning to hold demonstrations in two more cities, and more than 2,000 people have indicated that they will attend. 

Anyone can register for a test at coronaprover.dk (DK). The Health Authority recommends that people be tested on the fourth and sixth days after they have been exposed to a potential risk of infection.

(Coronavirus DK will be back on Thursday. Stay safe.)

Coronavirus DK: It’s not over yet, Part 2

After praising citizens for their careful behavior on Pentecost weekend, the police needed to declare an area in Copenhagen off-limits (DK) because too many people were gathering there. The temperature in Denmark has risen to the highest level of the year, all of 75 degrees, and many went to popular spots at the beaches and harbors. One of the hotspots was the Sandkai and Goteborg Plads waterfront area in Nordhavn, which lies along the Sound in the northern district of Copenhagen. 

The place was full of sunbathers lying beside one another and not observing the guidelines on social distancing and limiting gatherings to ten persons. “Citizens did not follow our directions to go to places where there are not so many people,” wrote the police in a press release. People may still pass through the zone and swim from the quay, but they must leave immediately after swimming or else face the possibility of a fine of up to DKK 2,500 ($350). The ban applies until Thursday evening. The ban on gatherings expires on June 8, when the government has said that it will consider raising the limit from ten to 30 to 50 persons if the spread of infections remains under control.

Disperse and regroup

After the ban went into effect, there were reports that many people simply moved to Marmorbyen (DK), a nearby area on the other side of the water, and crowds were congregating there. The sunbathers understood why the police took action, but some were not concerned about the risk of infection. “Honestly, I see better and better news that the infection rate is low and fewer than ever are hospitalized and few deaths,” said one of them. “So in my mind, the worst is over.”

A month ago the Social Liberal Party proposed that the city of Copenhagen expand the number of bathing zones in order to spread out the sunbathers, and it appears that the city is now taking steps to set up new areas near the city center.

The lure of forbidden Sweden

On Monday there was a report that five high school students who had been on a trip to Sweden on Ascension Day weekend had tested positive after they returned to school (DK) and the principal had cancelled classes for a week for all first-year students at the school, Roskilde Cathedral School. A total of 12 students had been together on the trip, which had not been organized or authorized by the school. 

It is not certain that the students became infected in Sweden, but the trip violated the government’s restrictions on unnecessary travel abroad. Sweden has not implemented a strict lockdown and has a much higher rate of infection than Denmark. It is not one of the three neighboring countries in the region covered by the plan to reopen the borders to tourists on June 15. Sweden does not prohibit Danes from entering, however. Many Danes have summer houses in southern Sweden and visit them often. “You wonder why the pupils didn’t think more carefully [about the trip],” said Claus Niller Nielsen, the principal. “You wonder why there wasn’t an adult somewhere who put their foot down about the trip.”

Mixed reactions

The incident prompted a representative of the Foreign Ministry to reiterate the government’s warning (DK) against traveling abroad and reminder that travelers returning from other countries should be quarantined for 14 days. While a representative of the students’ organization was annoyed that the entire class had to miss out on classroom teaching again soon after they had returned to school, the mayor of Roskilde, Tomas Breddam, a Social Democrat, took a more indulgent view: "I think we can all remember what it was like to be a first-year high school student at the start of summer. I don’t think we should scold [them], I think we should try to help.”

Coronavirus DK: Virus-cross'd lovers petition border control

When Denmark began to relax its lockdown restrictions, it opened its borders up for a certain number of people with “worthy purposes” – those who work in the country or must deliver goods here – and close family members, meaning spouses, partners, parents and children of someone who lives in Denmark. On Thursday, the government announced that it will expand entry permission on June 15 to include residents of Germany, Norway and Iceland who have a romantic relationship with or are grandparents of someone living in Denmark as well as to people who rent a summer house here. 

The limitations were a great disappointment to many others who weren’t in that category, perhaps most of all to fiancés and fiancées of Danes in countries other than the chosen three. Some of these couples had planned to hold their weddings this summer, and now one of the partners is stranded (DK) in his or her home country because of what they feel is an arbitrary and pointless distinction. They say it is discrimination. They have complained to the government and founded a Facebook group: “Lovers Separated by the Border Closing during Coronavirus.”

Marriage postponed indefinitely

Ninna Nielsen, from Odense, and Timmie Mathews, from Virginia, for example, have been a couple for eight years and were planning to be married in Denmark in September. Now their plans are ruined. Timmie was in the US on March 14, when Denmark closed its borders, and has been locked out since. They don’t know when they will see each other again except in their daily Skype calls. They had been hoping for good news on Thursday, with the loosening of restrictions, but the government’s tentative next step after this one will be to open the borders after the summer for tourists from other EU member states and the UK.

“I don’t understand why they should discriminate according to what country your boyfriend happens to come from,” says Ninna. “Especially when at the same time the borders are open for spouses from anywhere in the world.”

Separated by a formality

“What I don’t understand is why there is a difference between spouses and lovers,” says Sanne Jacobsen, whose boyfriend has been stuck in New Hampshire since February. “There are of course many Danes who live together for years without getting married.”

There are 546 members of the Facebook group. They have written to members of Parliament, arguing that they do not pose a significant risk of starting a chain of infections, and they have received many sympathetic responses, even from members of the ruling Social Democratic Party, which has set the policy. But their pleas to the government have been refused. Besides making it impossible for them to plan their lives, many say they are suffering emotional stress and anxiety.

No exceptions to the precautionary principle 

When Jeppe Bruus, the Social Democrats’ spokesperson for legal matters, was asked why lovers from countries besides Germany, Norway and Iceland may not join their partners in Denmark, he replied that the policy is to reopen the borders in a controlled manner in order to minimize the risk of a new outbreak, in accordance with the precautionary principle that the government has followed throughout the crisis, noting that South Korea has recently had to reimplement a lockdown. The three countries Denmark is opening up to this month “are close to us and at a similar stage in their management of the pandemic.” 

Bruus couldn’t offer any promises or hopes to the frustrated couples. Sanne Jakobsen says that Iceland might open its borders for everyone soon, and she and her partner would consider meeting and getting married there so that he would become eligible to enter Denmark.

Coronavirus DK: Auspicious start to summer - at least here

On the day when the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients fell below 100 (DK) for the first time since March 17, two researchers presented a study showing why Denmark has kept the pandemic under control.

In the week from March 17 to March 25, the number hospitalizations rose from 82 to 350, and since then it has fallen steadily to 98 yesterday, with only 20 in ICUs. The number of deaths from COVID-19 has followed a similar trend and now stands at 574. The government’s lockdown went into effect on March 13, and the trend continued downward after it began to lift restrictions on April 15.

Pareto logic

Lone Simonsen, Professor of Public Health at Roskilde University, and Kim Sneppen, Professor of Biocomplexity at the Niels Bohr Institute, have found an explanation of why the epidemic has subsided (DK) even after the increase in contact between people since the reopening. The conclusion of their study, which is based on international data, is that very few persons account for the large majority of infections, and Denmark has succeeded in limiting the influence of these superspreaders. 

The researchers found that about 10 percent of the population is responsible for 80 percent of the spread of the virus and that the largest number of infections take place at events with many participants such as concerts and sporting events. This is an example of the 80/20 rule, or the Pareto Principle, which holds that 20 percent of a phenomenon often accounts for 80 percent of the effect. Even though Denmark allowed schools to open, for example, it was able to keep the spread at bay by limiting the number of people at gatherings and avoiding potential superspreader events.

Praise from the police

The positive trend has also depended on people’s cooperation in following the government and the Health Authority’s guidelines, and the police, who are responsible for enforcing them, have just reported that they continue to do so. This is a holiday weekend. The Monday after Pentecost, or Whit Sunday, is also a holiday in Denmark, and this one of the long spring weekends when people spend more time outdoors and gather with family and friends. The weather has improved, and many are at the beaches. Restaurants and cafes have reopened recently, and the sun doesn’t set until 9:30 p.m. 

Nevertheless, the police have sent several complimentary tweets (DK) from their extra patrols around the country and report that people are avoiding large gatherings and observing social distancing recommendations: “There are certain places where people do not understand [the ban on large gatherings] and we need to get out the tablet and give a fine, but they are very few cases.” 

Since the spread of the infection is under control and the reopening is progressing steadily, people might forget that some restrictions are still in force. A violation of the ban on gatherings can still cost DKK 1,500 (about $215). The police have designated several spots where people traditionally gather as warning zones that they can close if there are too many people. Restaurants and bars must close by midnight. During the weekend, the police have made spot checks and reminded proprietors to observe the distancing requirements.

Solidarity with citizens of a failed state

From personal observation, I would say that the police are putting an optimistic spin on the situation in order to encourage people to do the right thing. But the very fact that they offer positive, encouraging comments highlights the extreme contrast to the disastrous situation in the United States at the moment in the wake of George Floyd’s death. While Danes have been very dismayed at the Trump administration’s mishandling and aggravation of the pandemic, the country’s current descent into violence and chaos is appalling and scarcely conceivable for people with the good fortune to be living here in Denmark. Local Black Lives Matter activists and others held a demonstration in front of the US Embassy yesterday, and as the police themselves predicted, it was peaceful.

Coronavirus DK: Testing for all while social distances shrink

Now anyone can be tested (DK) for COVID-19. Previously, only people with symptoms could request a test and they had to do it through their GP. On Monday, the Health Ministry announced that people who have only a slight suspicion that they have been exposed to the coronavirus can order a test on the coronaprover.dk website. The purpose is to track down as many infections as possible before they infect others, said Health Minister Magnus Heunicke. The new policy is possible because the country’s testing capacity has been expanded substantially in the past month. Up to 42,000 persons can be tested per day.

Wait your turn, boomer

In the first stage, young adults from the ages of 18 to 25 are eligible to make an appointment at one of the 16 Test Centers set up in large white tents located across the country. Later in the week, the system will be open for the rest of the population. People who are identified by contact tracers as having been exposed to an infected person will be referred for a test automatically. Heunicke cautions that people with a negative test result must still observe careful hygiene and social distancing because the result does not guarantee that someone is not infected.

Some 4,500 persons succeeded in booking a test (DK) on Monday. Many more people tried, even though they weren’t all in the right age group. By the afternoon, 25,000 people were waiting in line on the website. The Health Ministry has not announced when other age groups will become eligible.

Quarantine fatigue?

The expanded testing policy comes at a time when more people than ever are disregarding the government’s guidelines (DK) on social distancing. A new survey from Epinion and Aarhus University shows the largest drop in the number of people who avoid gatherings of more than ten people, the current limit, since the lockdown was imposed on March 13. The percentage who observed the limit declined from 85 percent on May 8 to 71 percent on May 15. The level had been stable in the range of 81-89 percent since March 20. More than 17,000 persons took part in the survey.

Unlocked and optimistic

One can also notice a difference on the streets and in shops, say observers such as retail salespeople. People are less careful to maintain social distancing and they are coming into contact with others they haven’t been exposed to before. The trend does not necessarily mean that people have become indifferent to the guidelines, however, according to Professor Michael Bang Petersen, who worked on the survey. More than half of those surveyed still wash their hands more than ten times a day. The main factor, says Bang Petersen, could be that the sphere of their daily routines has expanded with the lifting of lockdown restrictions and more people are back at their workplaces, for example. Others warn that hand-washing alone shouldn’t be considered an adequate precaution.

The exhortations by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and healthcare officials have always stressed that the lockdown exit process depended on the continuation of social distancing. The survey also shows that people are less worried and more optimistic about the country’s condition. 

Coronavirus DK: Speeding up the reopening

On Wednesday, after ten hours’ negotiations, the government reached an agreement with all the other parliamentary parties on an acceleration of phase 2 of the plan to reopen additional sectors of society and the economy (DK). Several types of organization can resume activities on May 27 instead of in June, as scheduled earlier. These include amusement parks, secondary education, adult education, cultural associations, nursing homes for visits, and public-sector workplaces except in the Greater Copenhagen and Zealand Regions. Museums, theaters and zoos may open immediately. 

This means that almost everything that still had been closed can reopen on the condition that they observe the guidelines on hygiene and social distancing. The only exceptions are gyms and other indoor sports and recreational activities, nightclubs and concert halls, and institutions of higher education that have not already opened as well as public-sector offices in Zealand. This is the first time the reopening plan has differentiated between the policies for individual regions.

The change in the timetable was made possible because of a new report from Statens Serum Institute (SSI) showing that the infection rate in the country remained low despite the relaxation of lockdown restrictions.

Partying can wait

The parties also agreed raise the limit on gatherings gradually to 30 to 50 persons during the summer, beginning with the transition to phase 3 on June 8. On May 25, the borders will open (DK) for residents of the other Scandinavian countries and Germany who own a summer house or have relatives in Denmark, and a plan to open the borders further for foreign tourism will be announced by May 29.

A majority of Parliament consisting of the right-wing parties, the Social Liberal Party and the Alternative Party had pressed the government especially to open the borders (DK) and to increase the limit on gatherings before the end of May. The SSI warned particularly against large indoor gatherings. When people are together for an extended period without adequate ventilation or the liberal consumption of alcohol makes the observance of precautionary guidelines more difficult, there is a risk of “superspreading” (DK).

Tourists can wait

“The border is the factor that has the greatest economic significance for Denmark right now,” said Jacob Ellemann-Jensen of the Liberal Party. The right wing received support for this position from the WHO (DK), whose spokesperson recently stated that because of its progress in controlling the virus, Denmark should be able to open its borders, assuming that it does so carefully, for example by screening tourists. 

The report from the SSI warned that opening the borders posed a risk of starting new chains of infection. Pernille Skipper of the Red-Green Party agreed, reminding the others that the Health Authority had advised allowing for three weeks between phases of reopening in order to monitor the spread of the virus.

The WHO vs. Mette

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has thus far resisted the economic arguments for large events and open borders. “When you come into Christiansborg [Parliament], you almost get the impression that we have left corona behind us,” she said. “If Denmark has a prime minister who lets herself be pressured into something that isn’t defensible, it simply won’t work. And it won’t happen with me.”

Coronavirus DK: Always something to complain about

Yesterday, SSI, the agency responsible for preparedness for infectious diseases, reported that the reproduction rate, R0, had fallen in the month of April (DK) from 0.9 to 0.7. The figure represents the average number of persons who are infected by a single infected person. If the level is below 1.0, the spread of the infection is declining. The drop has thus occurred since the first phase of the reopening began, with the return to school of children in the lowest classes and the opening of service and professional businesses. That shows that people have been conscientious about following the Health Authority’s guidelines, says Tyra Grove Krause of SSI.

Grove Krause cautions that the figure is an estimate that is more useful as an indication of the direction of the spread of the infection than a precise measure. The choice of criteria used affect the result. The SSI’s figure is based on the number of hospitalizations, not the number of persons who test positive for the coronavirus, and it assumes that it takes an average of 4.7 days for one person to infect another. The favorable results presumably influenced the Health Authority’s recommendations on lowering the recommended physical distancing from two meters to one and the reopening additional businesses and other organizations.

Is one meter enough?

On the day after the Health Authority announced the reduction of the guideline on physical distancing, spokespersons from virtually all of the political parties in Parliament were raising questions about it. Some were surprised that this key recommendation was changed suddenly and without consultation with the other parties after several of them had inquired about it earlier and received no clear answer. Some questioned whether it was safe. Most of them, like Liselotte Blixt of the Danish People’s Party, asked whether the decision was based on healthcare considerations (DK) or practical exigencies, implying that the latter might have weighed too heavily. If it wasn’t necessary to keep two meters’ distance from one another for the past three months, they asked, then why did we do it? Supermarkets have placed tape on the floor to show customers where to stand in line, and hairdressers have moved their chairs apart. Other party leaders criticized the way the decision was made (DK) without their input. 

When asked about the change, Søren Brostrøm, the head of the Health Authority, said that it was sound from a healthcare perspective and that the Authority also considered the practical ramifications because the guidelines must be sustainable. He said it consulted other countries’ policies and experience. The WHO recommends a distance of one meter, which is the policy in Norway, where there has been a very small number of infections; Germany and the Netherlands require 1.5 meters’ distance. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had previously said that the government deferred to the Health Authority on such decisions and that the guidelines could change.

Democracy in action

What all the spokespersons’ comments had in common was that none of them disagreed with the decision itself. Indeed, most of the parties had been arguing strongly for a further relaxation of restrictions. This discussion seems characteristic of the Danish style of political debate. The dissenters are well aware that the pandemic is under control and that Frederiksen’s and Bostrøm’s handling of the crisis has been viewed favorably by the public. The hospitals are not overwhelmed; there are no mass graves, massive job layoffs, long lines for food banks, or dangerous recommendations to drink disinfectants. Yet they feel an obligation to put in their two cents in order to show their constituencies that they still exist and are keeping an eye on developments.

Coronavirus DK: New meaning to the phrase “spitting distance”

Today shopping centers in Denmark can reopen and people can begin to participate in outdoor sports and other activities. In preparation for phase 2 of the relaxation of pandemic restrictions, the Health Authority yesterday announced an adjustment in its recommendations on hygiene. The most important change is that it will be sufficient for people to keep a distance of one meter (DK) from one another instead of two meters. In reducing the distance, it is falling in line with the guidelines from the WHO and neighboring countries. It still recommends two meters’ distance in situations such as group singing in churches, where there is a heightened risk of infection, and from people in a high-risk group, such as the elderly. The Health Authority is maintaining almost all of its previous guidelines.

Søren Bostrøm (DK), head of the agency, stresses that good hygiene, such as washing hands, using sanitizer and cleaning frequently touched surfaces, is more important than distancing. The other change mentioned in the press release is the lifting of objection to buffets, which apparently applied mainly to schools, since restaurants will not reopen until May 18. Bostrøm says the agency wants to implement sustainable solutions that balance effectiveness and convenience, and that certain measures, such as the availability of santizer in public places, will be with us for a long time. The recommendations will be adjusted gradually as various segments of society and the economy resume activities.

A “dangerous experiment”

Some doctors and researchers are in favor of the change and do not believe that it will result in many additional infections. But of course not all. Allan Randrup Thomsen, Professor of Virology at University of Copenhagen, who is one of the most frequently consulted observers of the pandemic management, calls the change “a dangerous experiment” (DK). In ordinary speech, says Randrup Thomsen, most droplets from the breath fall to the earth within one meter’s distance, but in louder speech they go further. He would maintain a distance of at least 1.5 meters. 

The difference between one and meters is not trivial when it comes to determining how many pupils can be together in a classroom and how many customers a restaurant can serve. The change will mean that additional children will be able to attend school for a full day and cafes will have a better chance of turning a profit. The issue of buffets is similar. The food served in buffets is not dangerous, says Jan Pravsgaard Christensen, Professor at the University of Copenhagen’s Institute for Immunology and Mikrobiology. What matters is that people do not crowd together in lines and follow the other recommendations on hygiene.

No carrot without a stick

As I mentioned yesterday, upon the further relaxation of restrictions, the government will also issue a formal prohibition against reopening and large gatherings for organizations that are not allowed to resume activities until phase 3 or 4. The ban, which applies to zoos, museums, fitness centers and boarding schools, was announced yesterday by Justice Minister Nick Hækkerup. If an organization with more than 50 people violates the ban, it will be subject to fines (DK) ranging from DKK 40,000 ($5,700) in the first instance to DKK 150,000 ($21,500) in the third. The police will also have the option of closing the business or organization. 

The Copenhagen Zoo and the ARoS art museum in Aarhus had mentioned the possibility of opening despite the general guidelines against it. Erlend Høyersten, the director of ARoS, called the decision “absurd and illogical” (DK). Museums do not pose a higher risk of infection than shopping centers, says Høyersten, and culture should not be assigned a lower priority than commerce in some kind of politics of symbolism. Justice Minister Hækkerup denies that there is any politics of symbolism at play and emphasizes that various institutions needed to be reopened gradually and middle schools, for example, were considered more important than museums by all the parliamentary parties. 

Coronavirus DK: Not so fast – it’s not over yet

After being closed for about two months, shopping centers are preparing to open (DK) tomorrow. They are setting up signs explaining the rules of conduct and bottles of hand sanitizer. They are closing lounges and children’s playrooms. Security guards and customer counters will be posted at the doors to make sure that customers maintain a distance from one another. Vibeke Qvist, the head of the Frederiksberg Center Association in Copenhagen, does not expect a large number of customers at first, but she and the shop owners are happy to get started again. 

The government does not want people to think that the lockdown is over and to let things get out of control, however. Along with the resumption of some activities in phase 2, it is also issuing a formal prohibition against activities (DK) that have not yet been approved for reopening. The ban will be enforced by the police, and violations will be subject to penalties, says Minister of Justice Nick Hækkerup. Certain zoos and museums have raised the possibility of opening before they are scheduled to in phase 3 on June 8. Thus far, there has been no official prohibition, and that has led to some confusion at times, for example when a cabinet minister informally disapproved of IKEA’s reopening although it was perfectly legal. Hækkerup sympathizes with organizations that must wait longer to open, but explains that prioritization is necessary in order to maintain control of the spread of the infections.

No jumping the gun

To remind people of the timetable, the police are tweeting about enforcing violations. Yesterday evening in Jutland, two restaurants were charged (DK) with serving food and drinks at outdoor tables. Restaurants and cafes are not scheduled to reopen until May 18. In another Jutland town, 14 people were caught congregating (DK) in a parking lot. Four got away, but ten were charged with exceeding the limit on gatherings.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs extended its advisory against unnecessary foreign travel (DK) until May 31. Jeppe Kofod, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, says that he understands people want to travel and are worried about their summer vacation plans but that conditions under the pandemic do not permit free travel yet. Airlines’ business has suffered greatly during the crisis. In April, the number of passengers on SAS flights fell 95 percent from the level in 2019.

Infections falling despite reopening

SSI, the agency responsible for preparedness against infectious diseases, reported a decline in the reproduction rate (DK), or R0, which measures the average number of people infected by an infected person, despite the first relaxations of the lockdown restrictions. The announcement, which was made in an email response to the Ritzau agency, did not specify the latest measurement. The rate had fallen to 0.6 in mid-April and then, after the first phase of the reopening, had risen back to 0.9 on April 30. The rate is used in the government’s decisions about the relaxation of pandemic restrictions. The SSI cautioned that it is subject to a margin of error and that a new measurement would be made in the coming week.

The wonders of socialism

Readers have referred me to a Friday NY Times column by Nicholas Kristof, “McDonald’s Workers in Denmark Pity Us.” Kristof gives a good overview of the advantages of Denmark’s social democracy, which is derided by some American politicians as “socialism” even while conditions in the US labor market during the pandemic deteriorate at an alarming  pace.

Coronavirus DK: Full reopening timetable unveiled

Soon after the government announced its plan for phase 2 of the reopening of the economy, as reported yesterday, it finished the outline for phases 3 and 4. Phase 3, which begins on June 8, will cover museums, theaters, outdoor amusement parks, adult education and indoor sports; if the virus remains under control, it will also allow greater physical presence in public workplaces, including the public broadcasters. The limit on gatherings will increase from ten to 50. Phase 4, which begins in early August, covers nightclubs, gyms, swimming pools and universities. No date was set for reopening the borders, an important objective for some of the opposition parties. A decision is expected by June 1.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that the ambitious schedule was made possible by the exemplary behavior of the Danish people in adhering the Health Authority’s guidelines and it was also conditional on the continuation of an acceptable trend in the number of hospitalizations and deaths. The announcement mentions the likelihood of an increase in those figures and stipulates that the timetable depends on the studies made by the Health Authority before the beginning of the next phases.

Overview in English

The English-language daily The Local has coverage of the timetable; the debate over the border opening; the Health Ministry’s report that laid the basis for the plan; the negotiations among the parties, including a useful infographic comparing the lockdown restrictions in the three Scandinavian countries; and interviews with two philosophers on the ethics of lifting the restrictions.

The negotiations on the reopening (DK) of various elements were reported to be difficult at times. There were disagreements on which organizations should resume activities on the basis of the relative risk of infection and their economic importance. Certain parties favored quick normalization, and others emphasized safety; some argued for reopening institutions in different regions on different dates. Alex Vanopslagh, leader of the Liberal Alliance Party, would have preferred a much quicker relaxation of restrictions but noted that it will proceed sooner than in the original plan presented to the other parties by the prime minister. Other parties leaders stressed the need for compromise and commended the possibility of adjusting the plans according to future reports on the status of the pandemic by the Health Ministry.

Social distancing while shopping and dining

The organizations that are about to open have begun making preparations. Department stores (DK), for example, have received a set of guidelines. They stipulate four square meters per person besides the two meters’ distance between persons. They require regular cleaning and disinfection of cashiers’ stations and other contact surfaces and prohibit clearance sales and other special offers that can result in lines and crowding. The reception of the plan by restaurant owners (DK) was mixed. Many are uncertain how much space they must allow for customers and whether they will be able to operate profitably. The industry spokesperson, Katia Østergaard, argues that hotels should receive additional economic aid because they have lost 90 percent of their revenues.

Coronavirus first appeared in France?

Finally, a report that does not yet seem to have penetrated mainstream American news: Doctors in Colmar, France, have found signs of the infection in lung scans from November 16, 2019 (DK); that is, one day before the first case was registered in China. If it’s not fake news, it would throw the question of the pandemic’s origins further in doubt. The region in question was apparently frequented by Chinese tourists, and a Chinese reality TV show was produced there. When you search for an English-language report, you find one on CGTN.com, the “Chinese Global Television Network,” and another on GlobalDomainNews.com, a site presented in very broken English based in "Fairview Kersey, PA." Kersey, an unincorporated town in Fox Township, PA, has a population of 937, a "Fairview Road" and a "PROMISS NEVER TO SPAM." Stay tuned.