Denmark cancels virus restrictions as outbreak eases

Denmark’s high vaccination rate has enabled the Scandinavian country to become one of the first European Union nations to lift all domestic restrictions.

The return to normality has been gradual, but as of Friday, the digital pass — a proof of having been vaccinated — is no longer required when entering nightclubs, making it the last virus safeguard to fall.

More than 80% of people above the age of 12 are fully vaccinated. As of midnight, the Danish government no longer considers COVID-19 “a socially critical disease.”

Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said last month that “the epidemic is under control” but warned: “We are not out of the epidemic” and the government will act as needed if necessary.

Jens Lundgren, a professor of viral diseases at the Copenhagen University Hospital, said the government would be “quite willing” to reintroduce restrictions if infections spike again.

Face masks are still mandatory at airports, and people are advised to wear one when at the doctor’s office, test centers or hospitals. Distancing is still recommended, and strict entry restrictions still apply for nonDanes at the borders.

Urooba Jamal / Associated Press Rebekah Ingram, an intern at Like Minded Females Network, works on her laptop at a WeWork location in London. Britain’s economic growth slowed more than expected in July.