Is Denmark getting rid of its COVID-19 restrictions? Yes, most of Denmark's previous COVID-19 restrictions are lifted; however, some preventive measures are still being implemented in the country, which has a high vaccination rate compared to the United States.
The claim appeared in an Instagram post (archived here) published on August 22, 2021. It featured an image with text that read:
BREAKING: Denmark has abolished all COVID measures, including masks, and any form of forcing vaccinations. USA, where you at?
This is how the post looked on Instagram on September 21, 2021:
(Source: Instagram screenshot taken on Tue Sep 21 20:36:38 2021 UTC)
On August 27, 2021, the Danish government announced that the categorization of COVID-19 as a "socially critical disease" would end on September 10, 2021, with the government saying the decision was "partly due to the large vaccination support, and partly to the strong epidemic control." The announcement, which Lead Stories translated from Danish to English using the Google Translate browser feature, read in part:
Categorization as a socially critical disease is what has made it possible to introduce a number of the special rules we have had in dealing with covid-19, such as assembly bans, coronapas requirements and bandages requirements.
When the categorization ceases, it therefore means that a number of provisions in the Epidemic Act no longer apply. This means, among other things, that the remaining restrictions in the reopening agreement from June 2021 will end, as there will no longer be a legal basis to maintain them. These are specific requirements for corona passes in connection with certain major events and in the nightlife.
According to the Danish Health Authority, more than 84% of those who were offered COVID-19 vaccinations in the country are fully vaccinated. A screenshot of COVID-19 vaccination statistics from Denmark is below:
(Source: Danish Health Authority screenshot taken on Tue Sep 21 17:29:42 2021 UTC)
Compare that to the United States: Out of those eligible for the vaccine at the time of this writing (12 years old and older), 64% are fully vaccinated. A screenshot of COVID-19 vaccination statistics from the United States is below:
(Source: CDC screenshot taken on Tue Sep 21 18:00:56 2021 UTC)
Herd immunity is typically reached when about 70-90% of the total population develops immunity, which can be achieved by vaccination. Because the U.S. has not approached herd immunity and the delta variant of the novel coronavirus is prevalent in the country, the CDC recommends (archived here) several COVID-19 prevention measures, including vaccination.
Denmark is also still keeping some COVID-19 measures in place, which can be found here (archived here). For example, although face masks are no longer required on Danish public transportation, most citizens are still required to wear them at airports, test centers and hospitals. Businesses and private cultural institutions can generally still require patrons to wear face masks or present evidence of vaccination.
