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Today in Denmark: A roundup of the latest news on Friday

Sarah Redohl
Sarah Redohl - [email protected]
Today in Denmark: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
FILE PHOTO: Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) planes are pictured at the Arlanda airport, north of Stockholm, while the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Stockholm, Sweden April 9, 2020. Anders Wiklund/TT News Agency/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. SWEDEN OUT.NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN./File Photo

Find out what's going on in Denmark today with The Local's short roundup of news.

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The increase in new Covid-19 cases is driven by people aged 20-29

There have been 658 new cases of Covid-19 registered in Denmark, reports the Statens Serum Institut (SSI). It’s the second day in a row with more than 600 new infections.

The number of daily infections has approximately quadrupled since reaching their lowest level in 2021 at the end of June.

It is young people between the ages of 20 and 29 who are driving the rise in cases, said Allan Randrup Thomsen, professor of virology at Copenhagen University.

Although young people face a reduced risk of serious complications with Covid-19, some young people may have serious long-term health effects from the disease, Thomsen said. And the more infected, the greater the risk of new variants, he added.

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Return of the tourist? New numbers and initiatives indicate growth

It came as no surprise when tourism organisation VisitDenmark’s recent analysis found that Denmark’s top 50 attractions had 42.8 percent fewer guests in 2020, compared to 2019.

Even though Danes limited to domestic tourism helped, it wasn’t enough to offset the absence of foreign tourists. However, new numbers from the flight and hotel industries indicate a return of tourism to Denmark. 

Scandinavian airline SAS has reported 609,000 passengers in June, an increase of 89 percent from June 2020. Norwegian Airlines reported twice as many passengers in June 2021 compared to June 2020.

Hotels are also reporting improved numbers, via Danmarks Statistik. Overnight stays in hotels have increased 210 percent from May 2020 to May 2021, although they remain 53 percent lower than May 2019.

As the travel industry continues its recovery, it will need to hire additional staff. 

Copenhagen Business House (Københavns Erhvervshus) and Copenhagen’s Job Center (Jobcenter København) announced on Wednesday an effort to assist the city’s hotels, restaurants and cafes find the staff they need as the reopening continues. 

Their efforts include outreach to test centers who may soon shrink staff as test capacity is reduced.

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Grocery delivery turns to digital keys in urban areas

Grocery delivery services boomed during the Covid-19 pandemic. As we continue a return toward normalcy and spend less time at home, online supermarkets like Nemlig.com are turning to digital keys to keep grocery delivery convenient. 

Through a new collaboration with the Danish company Bekey, Nemlig.com can now deliver groceries to locked staircases night and day without the customers having to be at home.

When Nemlig.com launched the option to have groceries delivered without the customer being home about a year ago, it required that the driver could place the groceries at the front door. However, it was a service most often used by customers living outside major urban areas. 

The digital key aims to open up that service to customers living in apartments. In one month, use of the digital keys for grocery delivery has grown by 50 percent. 

To see if your building has Bekey’s digital key capabilities, log in to Nemlig.com and choose a delivery time. If Bekey is installed at your address, you can select ‘Flexible Delivery’ even if you live in a locked stairwell.

Everyone over the age of 16 can now get vaccinated in Denmark

Denmark's National Board of Health announced July 9th that everyone over the age of 16 is now invited to receive their Covid-19 vaccine. Most recently, they invited people between the ages of 30 and 34 to get vaccinated. 

Next, they will extend the offer to parents of children between the ages of 12 and 15.

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