Denmark to ease restrictions next week after coronavirus lockdown

Denmark plans to reopen day care centres and schools for children in first to fifth grade on April 15 as a first step to gradually relax a three-week lockdown to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Monday.

The Nordic country, which has reported 187 coronavirus-related deaths, was one of the first European nations to announce closure of schools, day cares, restaurants, cafes and gyms, and shut all borders to most foreigners. Frederiksen said last week she would lay out a plan for gradually lifting the lockdown after Easter, if the numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths remain stable.

"This will probably be a bit like walking the rope. If we stand still along the way we could fall and if we go too fast it can go wrong. Therefore, we must take one cautious step at a time," Frederiksen told a media briefing. Denmark is the second country in Europe to provide dates and detail on a gradual reopening of its coronavirus lockdown after Austria earlier on Monday said it was preparing for a "resurrection" the day after Easter by reopening some shops in an initial loosening of its restrictions.

Frederiksen cautioned that the gradual reopening would only happen if the numbers stay stable and she urged all Danes to stick to the government's guidelines on social distancing and hygiene. "If we open Denmark too quickly again we risk that infections rise too sharply and then we have to close down again," Frederiksen said.

All remaining restrictions including a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people would stay in place until at least May 10, while a ban on larger gatherings like music festivals would remain in place until August, she said. Denmark's Roskilde Festival, one of the largest music and culture festivals in Europe, shortly after said it would cancel this year's festival.

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