Denmark looks to ease lockdown as a third of virus cases recover

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says lockdown may end after Easter

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is hopeful restrictions could be lifted after Easter. Reuters

Denmark may gradually lift a lockdown after Easter if the numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths remain stable.

Latest figures show Denmark has had 3,542 confirmed cases of coronavirus with a third of people (1,172) having recovered.

It has seen 123 deaths as a result of the virus.

Last week Denmark announced it was extending its initial two week lockdown, which began on March 11, until after Easter.

But as recoveries increase and the number of new cases stabilise, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said a gradual lifting of restrictions could start after Easter.

“Over the past week the number of hospital admissions has risen slightly slower than the week before and without the explosion in the numbers that we have seen in other countries,” she said.

Last week, the number of hospitalisations for coronavirus in Denmark roughly doubled from 254 to 533, whereas admissions in the week before that more than tripled from the previous week, according to data from the Danish Health Authority.

The number of daily deaths slowed to five on Sunday from eight and 11 on Saturday and Friday respectively.

“If we, over the next two weeks across Easter, keep standing together by staying apart, and if the numbers remain stable for the next two weeks, then the government will begin a gradual, quiet and controlled opening of our society again, at the other side of Easter,” she said.

Denmark has imposed less strict limits on daily life than in Italy or France where people are only free to leave their homes to buy groceries, go to work if essential or seek medical care.

But the Danish approach has been considerably tougher than that of neighboring fellow European Union country Sweden, which remains largely open for business.

Sweden has seen 239 deaths, 4,947 confirmed cases and just 103 recoveries.

Danish authorities have restricted public gatherings to 10 or fewer people, ordered the closure of schools, universities, day care centres, restaurants, cafes, libraries, gyms and hair salons, and shut all borders to most foreigners.

A reopening would probably include people attending schools and work in shifts to avoid rush-hour traffic and too many people gathering in public at the same time, Mrs Frederiksen added.

“We do see signs that we have succeeded in delaying the transmission of coronavirus in Denmark. The transmission is spreading slower than feared,” she said.

Frederiksen said she hoped to be able to present a plan for the first phase of a reopening by the end of this week after consultation with the other parties in government.

More than 500,000 have been infected by the coronavirus in Europe with Italy and Spain worst hit.

Ireland, which has had a similar number of confirmed cases to Denmark with 3,447, has seen 85 deaths but only five recoveries, according to data collected by John Hopkins University.