KEY POINTS: What changes about life in Denmark in November 2021
Here's what changes in Denmark in November and how it could affect you.
Municipal and regional elections
November 16th sees elections to municipal and regional governing bodies across the country. Many foreign residents are eligible to vote in the elections, for which postal voting has already begun.
We'll be covering the elections over the next two weeks -- look out for guides on how to vote and information on the parties and how their policies affect foreign residents in Denmark.
READ ALSO: How to vote by post as a foreign resident in Denmark’s local elections
Rapid Covid-19 testing returns
Antigen testing for Covid-19, commonly referred to in Denmark as lyntest or rapid testing, returns from Saturday October 30th in high-incidence municipalities Glostrup, Albertslund, Brøndby and Ishøj and will be rolled out to the rest of the country in the following week.
The government made the decision to bring back rapid testing with a capacity of up to 100,000 tests per day in response to escalating coronavirus infection numbers in late October.
Rapid test centres were closed on October 9th, but a stand-by agreement was left in place with private contractors enabling the service to be reinstated at short notice.
The capacity for PCR testing will also be higher in November at 150,000 daily. In October it was 100,000 per day.
READ ALSO: How likely is the return of Covid-19 restrictions in Denmark?
Higher Covid-19 case numbers expected
It’s not a change anyone would hope for, but an increase in the incidence of Covid-19 cases in November need not come as a surprise, nor, indeed a cause for panic.
An expert group working under national infectious disease agency State Serum Institute estimates more cases of the virus as colder weather tightens its grip.
According to the expert group’s estimate, released on October 22nd, the daily infection number will be between 600 and 3,200 by the middle of November, with 25-110 new hospital admissions daily.
This does not mean the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 will increase by this amount daily, because the figure does not take into account discharges from hospital.
READ ALSO: Covid-19: How many infections are expected in Denmark in late autumn?
Fully vaccinated can travel to United States
Fully vaccinated travellers from Europe will be able to travel to the United States from November 8th if they undergo Covid-19 testing and contact tracing.
US nationals living in Europe and their close family members were able to travel home across the Atlantic despite the outgoing ban, but the strict rules caused difficulty for many.
Brits in Denmark born after 1989 should apply for permanent residency
The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration has advised Brits living in Denmark who were born from 1990 onwards to send in their applications for post-Brexit permanent residency status during October.
The agency said in an open letter published in December that it wanted to stagger the applications to avoid a surge which would overwhelm its staff. However, the dates given were only a request and British residents who have applied ahead of the recommended time have had their applications handled as normal.
You apply for residency at the New in Denmark page.
Lower speed limits could take effect in some areas
If you have memorised local speed limits in your part of Denmark, it’s worth double checking they are still what you think they are.
The ministry of transport in September offered 15 municipalities the option of reducing some local speed limits to 40 kilometres per hour, rather than the regular 50 kilometres per hour.
Municipalities were asked to apply in September to the Danish Road Directorate for participation in the trial, with any approved changes coming into effect in November.
J-day: the unofficial start to the festive season
The first Friday of November is customarily a busy one for bars as Christmas beers or juleøl are launched, not least by brewing giant Tuborg, which releases its iconic julebryg (Christmas brew): hence the term J-dag, J-day.
The event normally results in packed bars with large numbers of patrons ordering the sweet tasting Christmas beer with its characteristic dark-blue-and-snowflake label, even though many Danes are likely to tell you they don’t actually like the taste.
Here’s our explainer of the popular annual tradition, from the archives in 2015.
Comments
See Also
Municipal and regional elections
November 16th sees elections to municipal and regional governing bodies across the country. Many foreign residents are eligible to vote in the elections, for which postal voting has already begun.
We'll be covering the elections over the next two weeks -- look out for guides on how to vote and information on the parties and how their policies affect foreign residents in Denmark.
READ ALSO: How to vote by post as a foreign resident in Denmark’s local elections
Rapid Covid-19 testing returns
Antigen testing for Covid-19, commonly referred to in Denmark as lyntest or rapid testing, returns from Saturday October 30th in high-incidence municipalities Glostrup, Albertslund, Brøndby and Ishøj and will be rolled out to the rest of the country in the following week.
The government made the decision to bring back rapid testing with a capacity of up to 100,000 tests per day in response to escalating coronavirus infection numbers in late October.
Rapid test centres were closed on October 9th, but a stand-by agreement was left in place with private contractors enabling the service to be reinstated at short notice.
The capacity for PCR testing will also be higher in November at 150,000 daily. In October it was 100,000 per day.
READ ALSO: How likely is the return of Covid-19 restrictions in Denmark?
Higher Covid-19 case numbers expected
It’s not a change anyone would hope for, but an increase in the incidence of Covid-19 cases in November need not come as a surprise, nor, indeed a cause for panic.
An expert group working under national infectious disease agency State Serum Institute estimates more cases of the virus as colder weather tightens its grip.
According to the expert group’s estimate, released on October 22nd, the daily infection number will be between 600 and 3,200 by the middle of November, with 25-110 new hospital admissions daily.
This does not mean the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 will increase by this amount daily, because the figure does not take into account discharges from hospital.
READ ALSO: Covid-19: How many infections are expected in Denmark in late autumn?
Fully vaccinated can travel to United States
Fully vaccinated travellers from Europe will be able to travel to the United States from November 8th if they undergo Covid-19 testing and contact tracing.
US nationals living in Europe and their close family members were able to travel home across the Atlantic despite the outgoing ban, but the strict rules caused difficulty for many.
Brits in Denmark born after 1989 should apply for permanent residency
The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration has advised Brits living in Denmark who were born from 1990 onwards to send in their applications for post-Brexit permanent residency status during October.
The agency said in an open letter published in December that it wanted to stagger the applications to avoid a surge which would overwhelm its staff. However, the dates given were only a request and British residents who have applied ahead of the recommended time have had their applications handled as normal.
You apply for residency at the New in Denmark page.
Lower speed limits could take effect in some areas
If you have memorised local speed limits in your part of Denmark, it’s worth double checking they are still what you think they are.
The ministry of transport in September offered 15 municipalities the option of reducing some local speed limits to 40 kilometres per hour, rather than the regular 50 kilometres per hour.
Municipalities were asked to apply in September to the Danish Road Directorate for participation in the trial, with any approved changes coming into effect in November.
J-day: the unofficial start to the festive season
The first Friday of November is customarily a busy one for bars as Christmas beers or juleøl are launched, not least by brewing giant Tuborg, which releases its iconic julebryg (Christmas brew): hence the term J-dag, J-day.
The event normally results in packed bars with large numbers of patrons ordering the sweet tasting Christmas beer with its characteristic dark-blue-and-snowflake label, even though many Danes are likely to tell you they don’t actually like the taste.
Here’s our explainer of the popular annual tradition, from the archives in 2015.
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].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.