Wearing face masks on public transport, in shops or in other public places is not necessary in Denmark at the current time, Brostrøm stated in an interview with national broadcaster DR.

“Face masks do not make sense in the current situation where we still have very low infection spread in Denmark,” Brostrøm said.

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“But could it make sense in the longer term, when we move closer together on public transport and in other situations? That is naturally something we must assess,” he added.

A number of commentators in Denmark have recently discussed the issue of whether Denmark may follow other European countries such as Italy, Francy, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom in making face masks mandatory in specified situations.

Last week, Thomas Benfield, a consultant doctor and professor of infectious disease at Hvidovre Hospital near Copenhagen, said a requirement to wear face masks could be introduced in Denmark in the autumn.

“If the beginnings of an outbreak could be seen and it was not under control, or there was a common element, then a face mask requirement could be introduced,” Benfield told Ritzau.

Danish health authorities changed official advice on the use of face masks relating to the Covid-19 pandemic earlier this month.

The updated guidelines from the Danish Health Authority (Sundhedsstyrelsen) advise the use of face masks in the country in certain circumstances, including when travelling home from areas considered high-risk or on the way to being tested for coronavirus.

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• These are Denmark’s current coronavirus guidelines for the public
• Are more people in Denmark going to wear face masks?

In June, The World Health Organisation in June updated its recommendations over face masks, recommending governments ask health members of the public wear non-medical face masks in areas where the virus is being transmitted to the community, if it is difficult to keep social distance, or in crowded areas such as on public transport. 

Brostrøm also said in the DR interview that he did not consider Denmark to be currently experiencing a second wave of coronavirus infections.

“I think it is more correct to say we still have the epidemic under control. We are still in the middle of it, maybe even in the first wave still,” he said.

“We have only managed to hold it down, but now we’re beginning to see a little bit of a flare up again. We will monitor this, including in regard to whether new measures should be introduced,” he added.