Queues on Øresund Bridge as Danes return from long weekend
Ritzau/The Local - [email protected]
Published: 2 Jun, 2020 CET.
Updated: Tue 2 Jun 2020 10:37 CET
Danes returning from a long weekend in Bornholm and holiday cottages in Skåne caused a 2km queue on Tuesday morning, adding to Swedes' irritation at being cut out a Nordic tourism deal.
Copenhagen police reported the queue in a tweet at around 8am on Tuesday.
Der er i øjeblikket kødannelse på Øresundsbroen. Politiet er opmærksom på dette.
Alle spor er åbnet og vi gør hvad vi kan for at afvikle køen #politidk
— Københavns Politi (@KobenhavnPoliti) June 2, 2020
The temporary border checks on the small artificial island of Peberholm (Pepparholm in Swedish), where the bridge over from Sweden turns into a tunnel, makes it much slower to get across the Öresund, meaning queues build up quickly whenever there is heavy traffic.
"The police are in place and are trying to get people through the checks as quickly as possible," security officer Thomas Hjermind told Ritzau at 9am. "The queue is 2km long. But the traffic is moving."
The long weekend around Whit Sunday and Whit Monday in Denmark has meant that many have travelled into Sweden -- some to get the ferry across to Bornholm, others to stay in summer cottages in Skåne and elsewhere.
Police told Ritzau that the queue was mainly formed of Danes on their way back from holiday in Sweden, together with a few Swedish cross-border workers.
READ ALSO:
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Denmark’s conditions for summer holiday plans
-
Denmark and Norway strike tourist border deal...without Sweden
-
Returning Danes cause 6km 'corona queue' at Swedish border
Since Denmark imposed border controls on March 14, Danes have been able to travel to Sweden unhindered while Swedes have only been allowed into Denmark if they have a "worthy purpose".
Danes are supposed to go into quarantine for 14 days on their return, but this is voluntary and it seems that few do.
Last Friday, Denmark's government announced that it was ready to allow tourists from Norway, Germany and Iceland into the country, but not those from Sweden.
“It seems absolutely crazy. Total double standards,” Christer Mårtensson, 61, from Hjärup in Skåne told Denmark's BT tabloid.
"If the authorities are so afraid of the Swedes being infected don't they think that the Danes can take the infection back with them?" he added.
"It doesn't make sense. It's pure populism, and it seems as if Mette Frederiksen is just trying to improve her popularity on at home."
While Sweden as a whole has higher infection rates than Denmark, Region Skåne has a lower rate
than in Copenhagen area.
According to Sweden's Kvällsposten newspaper, there have been 17.8 coronavirus-related deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in Copenhagen, and just 13.3 in Skåne.
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Copenhagen police reported the queue in a tweet at around 8am on Tuesday.
Der er i øjeblikket kødannelse på Øresundsbroen. Politiet er opmærksom på dette.
— Københavns Politi (@KobenhavnPoliti) June 2, 2020
Alle spor er åbnet og vi gør hvad vi kan for at afvikle køen #politidk
The temporary border checks on the small artificial island of Peberholm (Pepparholm in Swedish), where the bridge over from Sweden turns into a tunnel, makes it much slower to get across the Öresund, meaning queues build up quickly whenever there is heavy traffic.
"The police are in place and are trying to get people through the checks as quickly as possible," security officer Thomas Hjermind told Ritzau at 9am. "The queue is 2km long. But the traffic is moving."
The long weekend around Whit Sunday and Whit Monday in Denmark has meant that many have travelled into Sweden -- some to get the ferry across to Bornholm, others to stay in summer cottages in Skåne and elsewhere.
Police told Ritzau that the queue was mainly formed of Danes on their way back from holiday in Sweden, together with a few Swedish cross-border workers.
READ ALSO:
- Denmark’s conditions for summer holiday plans
- Denmark and Norway strike tourist border deal...without Sweden
- Returning Danes cause 6km 'corona queue' at Swedish border
Since Denmark imposed border controls on March 14, Danes have been able to travel to Sweden unhindered while Swedes have only been allowed into Denmark if they have a "worthy purpose".
Danes are supposed to go into quarantine for 14 days on their return, but this is voluntary and it seems that few do.
Last Friday, Denmark's government announced that it was ready to allow tourists from Norway, Germany and Iceland into the country, but not those from Sweden.
“It seems absolutely crazy. Total double standards,” Christer Mårtensson, 61, from Hjärup in Skåne told Denmark's BT tabloid.
"If the authorities are so afraid of the Swedes being infected don't they think that the Danes can take the infection back with them?" he added.
"It doesn't make sense. It's pure populism, and it seems as if Mette Frederiksen is just trying to improve her popularity on at home."
While Sweden as a whole has higher infection rates than Denmark, Region Skåne has a lower rate
than in Copenhagen area.
According to Sweden's Kvällsposten newspaper, there have been 17.8 coronavirus-related deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in Copenhagen, and just 13.3 in Skåne.
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