The wording of the message was:

“Coronavirus spredes lige nu i Danmark. Hold afstand og vis hensyn – også i solskin. Ellers kan vi ikke bremse smitten. God weekend. Politiet.”

“Coronavirus is spreading in Denmark right now. Keep your distance and show consideration – also when the sun shines. Otherwise, we will not be able to slow the spread of the disease. Enjoy your weekend. The police.”

Danish National Police contacted the four major telecommunications companies – TDC, Telia, 3 and Telenor – and asked them to ensure that the text messages are sent.

As almost 10 million text messages need to be sent, it cannot be done at once. So many people won’t receive their text message straight away, the National Police have said.

On Saturday, Uffe Stormly, a police inspector at the Danish National Police emergency centre, told Ritzau that police are trying to get the message out as wide as possible, for people to keep at a distance and show consideration.

On Friday almost everyone in Denmark over the age of 15 received a message on eBoks about the coronavirus. The National Board of Health chose to send out a letter explaining the symptoms of Covid-19 and how to act to help reduce coronavirus infection.

The police text message comes after several days of good weather, where there have been several instances of people gathering in parks, beaches and other outdoor spaces in groups of more than ten. For now, the police have not charged anyone for gatherings of more than ten but they can give a fine of 1500 kroner.