COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Denmark’s government said Wednesday it will scrap most pandemic restrictions next week, even as neighboring Sweden extended its own measures for another fortnight.Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that as of Feb.
1 Danes will enjoy free access to restaurants, cafés, museums and nightclubs, while mask use will cease to be mandatory."We say goodbye to the restrictions and welcome the life we knew before" the pandemic, Frederiksen said. "As of Feb.
1, Denmark will be open."Denmark currently requires face masks on public transportation, in shops, for standing clients in restaurant indoor areas, and for people entering hospitals, health care facilities and retirement homes.
As of Feb. 1, the government will only recommend mask use in hospitals, health care facilities and homes for the elderly.Frederiksen said that while the omicron variant is surging in Denmark, it is not placing a heavy burden on the health system and the country has a high vaccination rate."It may seem strange that we want to remove restrictions given the high infection rates," she said. "But fewer people become seriously ill."Denmark has in recent weeks seen more than 46,000 daily cases on average, but only 40 people are currently in hospital intensive care units — down from 80 a few weeks ago — Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said.Heunicke urged Danes to get tested regularly. "We continue with a strong epidemic surveillance.