Denmark’s high vaccination rate has enabled it to become one of the first EU countries to lift all domestic restrictions, after 548 days with curbs in place to limit the spread of Covid-19.
But as the Scandinavian country looked ahead to a new post-pandemic reality, the WHO warned that vaccines alone may not end the pandemic and the virus could be around for years.
"We are definitely at the forefront in Denmark as we have no restrictions, and we are now on the other side of the pandemic thanks to the vaccination rollout," Ulrik Orum-Petersen, a promoter at event organizer Live Nation, told AFP.
On Saturday, a sold-out concert in Copenhagen will welcome 50,000 people, a first in Europe.
The move is the latest in the country's decisions to ease pandemic measures, including the scrapping of the mask requirement for public transit on August 13. It also comes as other Scandinavian countries like Sweden — set to drop its restrictions at the end of September — are taking advantage of the improving epidemiological outlook.
More than 80% of people above the age of 12 in the Scandinavian country have had the two shots, leading the Danish government to declare as of midnight it no longer considers Covid-19 a “socially critical” disease.
On August 1 it lifted the Covid-19 pass requirement at museums and indoor events with fewer than 500 people, before ditching it for major events, while masks have not been required on public transport since mid-August.
The tipping point in Denmark to start easing restrictions came when a majority in the 50+ age group had both shots, Riis Paludan said.
