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Everything that changes in Denmark in March 2021

The Local Denmark
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Everything that changes in Denmark in March 2021
Butikkerne genåbner i centrum af København, mandag den 1. marts 2021. Efter flere måneders nedlukning må butikkerne åbne igen. Butikkerne har været nedlukket grundet frygt for coronasmitte - covid-19.

March 2021 will see several changes in Denmark related to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions.

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A partial lifting of the national coronavirus lockdown in Denmark will allow some school classes to return and certain shops to reopen from March 1st. A number of other restrictions also change from Monday.

More detail on the changes follows below.

READ ALSO: Which Covid-19 restrictions will stay in place in Denmark beyond March 1st?

Shops reopen

Shops which sell durable goods such as clothes or furniture will be allowed to open nationally from March 1st provided they are under 5,000 square metres in size. Stores which are located in shopping malls will not be allowed to reopen, however.

Increased social distancing requirements will apply and larger stores will also be allowed to open on an appointment basis to a limited number of customers.

Schools

Schools will be allowed to partially reopen in some areas of the country, but not in others.

Final year students at elementary schools, upper secondary schools and further education (not universities) can now physically attend classes in North Jutland and West Jutland.

Classes will return at 50 percent capacity, meaning that students will attend every other week.

At elementary schools, students over the age of 12 will be asked to take a Covid-19 test twice weekly but it will not be mandatory. However, students at the other education types will not be allowed to attend without taking a test.

Youth residential schools (efterskoler) in the two Jutland regions will be allowed to operate with full attendance and special infection prevention measures, and students who come from other parts of the country will be allowed to attend.

According to a justice ministry statement issued last week, the government will review infection trends before deciding whether to allow schools to reopen in other regions of the country. A second round of reopenings would take effect on March 15th.

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Outdoors attractions can open

Cultural institutions which are located outside will be allowed to operate provided that users present a negative Covid-19 test less than 72 hours old. This means attractions like the Tivoli amusement park or the Zoo in Copenhagen can open their doors to guests again. The former has been closed since December.

Copenhagen’s zoo has said it will be ready to open on Thursday, broadcaster DR has reported. That also goes for the zoos in Odense and Aalborg.

More participation in sports

Organised outdoor activity with sports clubs can be stepped up a little under the new rules.

“Outdoor cultural life and outdoor sports and leisure pursuits” are now permitted nationally with a 25-person assembly limit in place, although this must take place “under organised auspices”.

In February, the general assembly limit of five persons in public places also applied to sports.

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Bornholm

Baltic Sea island Bornholm is geographically cut off from the rest of Denmark and has seen lower infection rates than the rest of the country. The island will now be encompassed by slightly more lenient Covid-19 restrictions.

All year groups (not just senior years) will be allowed to return to elementary schools, while some businesses are permitted to open on the island while their colleagues remain closed elsewhere in Denmark.

This means the sector referred to in Denmark as liberale erhverv (liberal businesses), including customer-facing business such as hair salons, cosmetic clinics and driving schools, can reopen. Customers must present a negative Covid-19 test no more than 72 hours old.

The general assembly limit on Bornholm has been lifted from 5 to 10 people (apart from for organised sports which have a higher limit nationally, as detailed above). For the rest of Denmark, the limit stays at 5 people.

New epidemic law

It should also be noted that a new epidemic law, recently voted through by a broad majority in parliament, comes into effect on Monday March 1st. The law does not mean any immediate changes to restrictions but does keep in place restrictions brought into effect under the outgoing emergency law.

More detail on the new epidemic law can be found here.

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