Today in Denmark: A round-up of the latest news on Friday
Find out what's going on in Denmark today with The Local's short round-up of the news in less than five minutes.
Latest on situation in North Jutland
North Jutlanders find themselves this morning living under arguably the strictest lockdown conditions Denmark has seen since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. That is because of the concerning discovery of a mutated form of the coronavirus which stemmed from mink farms in the region and has now been transferred back to humans.
Although the overall coronavirus infection level in North Jutland is no worse than elsewhere in Denmark, experts and official have said it is crucial the mutated form be contained, as it could jeopardise the efficacy of a future vaccine.
READ ALSO: ANALYSIS: How serious is Denmark’s mink coronavirus mutation and outbreak?
On Thursday evening, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said "the eyes of the world are on us” as she detailed the strict new measures in 7 of North Jutland’s 11 municipalities. These include asking residents not to leave their home areas, closures of cultural and sporting facilities, sending many school children home and shutting bars and restaurants.
You can read about the restrictions in more detail in this report.
North Jutland’s assembly limits (in the seven municipalities) have also been made stricter than elsewhere in Denmark. The allowance for up to 500 people at events with permanent seating has been removed – the limit is now at 10 as it is for other types of gathering. That means the postponement of 1. division and 2. division football matches in the region.
The women’s handball European Championships are scheduled to begin in Frederikshavn on December 3rd – the same day the restrictions are currently scheduled to expire. The prospects of the tournament being played out in the town are now “unrealistic”, DR has reported.
An exemption allowing up to 50 to gather for youth and children’s sports activities has likewise been removed, with the 10-person limit taking its place.
We’d like to hear from readers in North Jutland. How are you being affected? How do you feel? The situation with the culling of the minks and strict lockdown is quite unprecedented and will affect communities in many ways – economic, social and public health alike. These stories are important amid the wider (and serious) concerns about the mutated virus. You can get in touch with us via email.
Screws tighten on travel
The United Kingdom early this morning removed Denmark from its list of ‘travel corridor’ countries, meaning that residents from Denmark must now quarantine for two weeks on arrival in the UK. Denmark had only recently been put back on the exemption list from UK quarantine, after previously losing its place at the end of September. In a transport ministry statement, the UK government specifically cited the mink outbreak in its decision to reimpose quarantine on Danish travellers.
Meanwhile, Denmark’s foreign ministry has designated the entire world an ‘orange’ destination, which means all non-essential travel is not recommended by the foreign ministry.
People who live in countries to which Denmark advises against travel are required to provide a so-called “worthy” reason for entering Denmark. This can include work or family reasons but not tourism. Requirements to produce a negative Covid-19 test may also apply. Detailed guidance can be found on the Danish police website.
So, the weather…
Phew. That’s a lot to take in, so here’s something a bit easier to digest. This November weekend will see mild temperatures, relatively low winds and a good chance of sun in most of the country.
“We are hopeful that the clouds will break up and things will clear a little bit,” meteorologist Trine Pedersen of the Danish Meteorological Institute told Ritzau this morning.
A good opportunity to go for a walk in the fresh air.
Kære nordjyder! Vejret sender, som det første, sol i jeres retning, når det i dag klarer op fra nordvest ☀️ De sydlige egne må væbne sig med tålmodighed. Dagens temp. = 10 og 12 °C
Se mere på https://t.co/I6gLnAIgh4 pic.twitter.com/4QNvPogDgK
— DMI (@dmidk) November 6, 2020
An apology
In yesterday’s briefing, I mentioned an incoming report on foreign residents who left Denmark despite wanting to stay. Events took over and I had to postpone publishing this article. I’ll let this to be a lesson to myself not to reckon with the news cycle, but it is on its way later this morning. The report, which comes from one of our talented contributors, is worth the wait.
Danish vocabulary:
-
Eliteidræt: elite sports
-
Kommunegrænse: municipal border
-
Myndigheder: authorities
Many thanks to all those who took the time to send such encouraging feedback on our daily news round-up. We're going to make the daily update a permanent feature, but if you have any suggestions or feedback in future, you're welcome to let us know – we're always happy to hear from you.
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Latest on situation in North Jutland
North Jutlanders find themselves this morning living under arguably the strictest lockdown conditions Denmark has seen since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. That is because of the concerning discovery of a mutated form of the coronavirus which stemmed from mink farms in the region and has now been transferred back to humans.
Although the overall coronavirus infection level in North Jutland is no worse than elsewhere in Denmark, experts and official have said it is crucial the mutated form be contained, as it could jeopardise the efficacy of a future vaccine.
READ ALSO: ANALYSIS: How serious is Denmark’s mink coronavirus mutation and outbreak?
On Thursday evening, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said "the eyes of the world are on us” as she detailed the strict new measures in 7 of North Jutland’s 11 municipalities. These include asking residents not to leave their home areas, closures of cultural and sporting facilities, sending many school children home and shutting bars and restaurants.
You can read about the restrictions in more detail in this report.
North Jutland’s assembly limits (in the seven municipalities) have also been made stricter than elsewhere in Denmark. The allowance for up to 500 people at events with permanent seating has been removed – the limit is now at 10 as it is for other types of gathering. That means the postponement of 1. division and 2. division football matches in the region.
The women’s handball European Championships are scheduled to begin in Frederikshavn on December 3rd – the same day the restrictions are currently scheduled to expire. The prospects of the tournament being played out in the town are now “unrealistic”, DR has reported.
An exemption allowing up to 50 to gather for youth and children’s sports activities has likewise been removed, with the 10-person limit taking its place.
We’d like to hear from readers in North Jutland. How are you being affected? How do you feel? The situation with the culling of the minks and strict lockdown is quite unprecedented and will affect communities in many ways – economic, social and public health alike. These stories are important amid the wider (and serious) concerns about the mutated virus. You can get in touch with us via email.
Screws tighten on travel
The United Kingdom early this morning removed Denmark from its list of ‘travel corridor’ countries, meaning that residents from Denmark must now quarantine for two weeks on arrival in the UK. Denmark had only recently been put back on the exemption list from UK quarantine, after previously losing its place at the end of September. In a transport ministry statement, the UK government specifically cited the mink outbreak in its decision to reimpose quarantine on Danish travellers.
Meanwhile, Denmark’s foreign ministry has designated the entire world an ‘orange’ destination, which means all non-essential travel is not recommended by the foreign ministry.
People who live in countries to which Denmark advises against travel are required to provide a so-called “worthy” reason for entering Denmark. This can include work or family reasons but not tourism. Requirements to produce a negative Covid-19 test may also apply. Detailed guidance can be found on the Danish police website.
So, the weather…
Phew. That’s a lot to take in, so here’s something a bit easier to digest. This November weekend will see mild temperatures, relatively low winds and a good chance of sun in most of the country.
“We are hopeful that the clouds will break up and things will clear a little bit,” meteorologist Trine Pedersen of the Danish Meteorological Institute told Ritzau this morning.
A good opportunity to go for a walk in the fresh air.
Kære nordjyder! Vejret sender, som det første, sol i jeres retning, når det i dag klarer op fra nordvest ☀️ De sydlige egne må væbne sig med tålmodighed. Dagens temp. = 10 og 12 °C
— DMI (@dmidk) November 6, 2020
Se mere på https://t.co/I6gLnAIgh4 pic.twitter.com/4QNvPogDgK
An apology
In yesterday’s briefing, I mentioned an incoming report on foreign residents who left Denmark despite wanting to stay. Events took over and I had to postpone publishing this article. I’ll let this to be a lesson to myself not to reckon with the news cycle, but it is on its way later this morning. The report, which comes from one of our talented contributors, is worth the wait.
Danish vocabulary:
- Eliteidræt: elite sports
- Kommunegrænse: municipal border
- Myndigheder: authorities
Many thanks to all those who took the time to send such encouraging feedback on our daily news round-up. We're going to make the daily update a permanent feature, but if you have any suggestions or feedback in future, you're welcome to let us know – we're always happy to hear from you.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
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