Nightlife and gathering limit restrictions most likely path at press conference today

PM Mette Frederiksen will address the nation at 20:30 today, but Christmas looks safe for the time being

The prime minister is holding a press conference this evening at 18:30, where it is expected she will announce more restrictions, this time impacting nightlife.

The Epidemic Commission will be meeting today to discuss their exact recommendations, which will then be passed on to the Epidemic Committee, the council composed of 21 MPs, who will have the final say.

A press conference held by the Health Ministry yesterday afternoon appeared to suggest that holding a Christmas that is as normal as possible is the main priority for the country.

Sundhedsstyrelsen backs nightlife measures
The omicron variant is making rapid progress, and this week has already brought the two highest infection counts of the year – 7,146 on Monday and 6,324 on Tuesday – so the pressure is on the government to take action. 

Introducing gathering limits and restrictions to nightlife looks like the logical solution, contended Søren Brostrøm, the head of the Sundhedsstyrelsen health authority, at a press conference yesterday.

“I think it’s wise to close down nightlife, for example, and I also think we need to look at whether we can be as many together at a time as we are in some places in society,” he said.

Health minister tests positive
Whether this includes Christmas lunches remains to be seen, although some parties clearly want the bigger ones scrapped or reduced in size.

At yesterday’s conference, Sundhedsstyrelsen said it intends to hold a smaller affair than planned

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has been rocked by the news that its minister Magnus Heunicke tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday.

Heunicke might have picked up the virus at a Health Ministry Christmas lunch on December 3, as one other guest has since tested positive.




  • Diplomatic tensions between US and Denmark after spying rumors

    Diplomatic tensions between US and Denmark after spying rumors

    A Wall Street Journal article describes that the US will now begin spying in Greenland. This worries the Danish foreign minister, who wants an explanation from the US’s leading diplomat. Greenlandic politicians think that Trump’s actions increase the sense of insecurity

  • Diplomacy meets Westeros: a dinner with the King, Queen – and Jaime Lannister

    Diplomacy meets Westeros: a dinner with the King, Queen – and Jaime Lannister

    What do King Frederik X, Queen Mary, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and Jaime Lannister have in common? No, this isn’t the start of a very specific Shakespeare-meets-HBO fanfiction — it was just Wednesday night in Denmark

  • Huge boost to halt dropouts from vocational education

    Huge boost to halt dropouts from vocational education

    For many years, most young people in Denmark have preferred upper secondary school (Gymnasium). Approximately 20 percent of a year group chooses a vocational education. Four out of 10 young people drop out of a vocational education. A bunch of millions aims to change that

  • Beloved culture house saved from closure

    Beloved culture house saved from closure

    At the beginning of April, it was reported that Kapelvej 44, a popular community house situated in Nørrebro, was at risk of closing due to a loss of municipality funding

  • Mette Frederiksen: “If you harm the country that is hosting you, you shouldn’t be here at all”

    Mette Frederiksen: “If you harm the country that is hosting you, you shouldn’t be here at all”

    With reforms to tighten the rules for foreigners in Denmark without legal residency, and the approval of a reception package for internationals working in the care sector, internationals have been under the spotlight this week. Mette Frederiksen spoke about both reforms yesterday.

  • Tolerated, but barely: inside Denmark’s departure centers

    Tolerated, but barely: inside Denmark’s departure centers

    Currently, around 170 people live on “tolerated stay” in Denmark, a status for people who cannot be deported but are denied residency and basic rights. As SOS Racisme draws a concerning picture of their living conditions in departure centers, such as Kærshovedgård, they also suggest it might be time for Denmark to reinvent its policies on deportation

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.