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New infections have subsided as vaccination rates have increased, reaching more than 70 percent of the overall population.
Denmark has become the only European country not to put in place any restrictions related to the coronavirus, as vaccination rates have reached over 70% of the population.
The return to normal has been gradual, but as of Friday, the digital pass – proof of having been vaccinated – is no longer required to enter nightclubs, making it the last COVID-19 save to drop.
“It’s been a difficult few years. I have three children and we were homeschooled and the days were tough, ”said resident Klaus Sylvester.
“It’s quite liberating that Denmark has no more restrictions.”
In June, Iceland also lifted all its COVID-19 measures – only to reimpose them after cases rose again.
Denmark introduced COVID-19 passports in March 2021 as part of a gradual relaxation of the rules.
On August 1, it lifted the COVID pass requirement at museums and indoor events with fewer than 500 people, before dropping it for large events, while masks are no longer mandatory in transport public since mid-August.
On Saturday, a sold-out concert in the capital, Copenhagen, will welcome 50,000 people, a first in Europe.
Danish authorities insist the virus is under control, with around 500 cases daily and a reproduction rate of 0.7.
Vaccines were rolled out quickly, with 73 percent of the 5.8 million population fully vaccinated and 96 percent aged 65 and over.
Customers are seen at ‘Det Elektriske Hjoerne’ bar in Copenhagen on the night of September 2-3, 2021 [File: Ritzau Scanpix/AFP]Cautious optimism
However, optimism was tempered on Friday as the World Health Organization (WHO) director for Europe warned vaccines were unlikely to end the pandemic for good.
Instead, jabs will help prevent serious illness and death, although the virus is likely to be around for years as it mutates, Hans Kluge told reporters in Copenhagen.
“We need to anticipate how to gradually adapt our vaccination strategy to endemic transmission and gather really valuable knowledge about the impact of additional jabs.”
Denmark made third doses available to vulnerable groups as early as Thursday, and Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said vaccines played an important role in helping the country return to normalcy.
But he struck a cautious note.
“Daily life has basically returned to normal, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any danger on the road,” Heunicke said on Friday.
“The virus has mutated several times, so I can’t guarantee anything. But with so many people vaccinated, we are in a good position, ”he told Danish television TV2.
Christian Nedergaard, who owns several restaurants in Copenhagen, said that while everyone is looking forward to a return to normal life, “the situation is still complicated”.
“The memory of the coronavirus will fade very quickly from the minds of some people but not everyone, and for restaurants this period has certainly been a game-changer,” he said.
Denmark is now the only country in Europe to have no restrictions in place [File: Ritzau Scanpix / AFP]
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