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What are Denmark’s Covid-19 rules for New Year’s Eve?

The Local Denmark
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What are Denmark’s Covid-19 rules for New Year’s Eve?
Dronning Louises Bro plejer at være et samlingsted nytårsaften med skøn udsigt til en masse fyrværkeri. Klokken 21.56 var der dog kun enkelte mennesker mødt op, for at nyde synet af lidt nytårsskyts på sikker afstand fra andre.

Denmark does not currently have any Covid-19 restrictions on assembly in place, but has issued recommendations in advance of New Year’s Eve. Nightlife and alcohol sales remain subject to restrictions.

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New Year’s Eve 2021 will not see limitations on people gathering, in contrast to 2020, but current Covid-19 rules do place restrictions on alcohol sales and nightlife.

Authorities have also issued advice and guidelines which they have encouraged the public to follow during celebrations to see out 2021.

Restrictions

Sales of alcohol at bars, restaurants and other licensed establishments are banned after 10pm, while establishments must close by 11pm.

General sales of alcohol are currently banned between 10pm and 5am.

Bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants are also affected by capacity limits introduced earlier in December. This means they must restrict the number of customers to two square metres of floor space per sitting guest, and four square metres of floor space per standing guest.

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READ ALSO: The Covid-19 restrictions now in effect in Denmark

Private events held at venues outside of homes must end by 11pm. This rule was ostensibly designed for events like wedding receptions and Christmas parties but could conceivably also apply at New Year.

The venues hosting events must comply with restrictions affecting licensed businesses like restaurants and bars, meaning limits on when alcohol can be served also apply here.

Recommendations

During a December 22nd briefing on the ongoing Covid-19 situation, the director of the Danish Health Authority, Søren Brostrøm, asked the public to “avoid big celebrations on New Year’s Eve”.

“If many of you are already thinking about New Year’s Eve, I’d clearly say you should not make plans for huge celebrations,” he said.

“We are asking you to stick to seeing as few people as possible,” the senior health official added.

Last year’s assembly restrictions limited gatherings to 10 people in public places on December 31st, 2020. Those rules did not apply in private homes, but authorities asked private parties to be kept limited and amongst the same people with whom Christmas has been spent.

With no assembly limit in place at the end of 2021, Brostrøm asked New Year’s parties to be kept to as low numbers as possible.

“See few (people), keep it short, only see close family and your very closest friends for New Year’s Eve,” he said on December 22nd.

On Wednesday, Denmark’s national infectious disease agency State Serum Institute registered 23,228 new cases of Covid-19. That eclipses the previous record of 16,164, which was set on Monday.

READ ALSO: How Denmark normally celebrates New Year’s Eve (2019)

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