The U-turn happened after the Minister of Transport Benny Engelbrecht asked DSB on Friday to reintroduce the requirement, which was introduced in May to ensure that passengers were not too close and that there was no congestion on the trains.

Tony Bispeskov, information manager at DSB, says that they are working as fast as they can to get the systems ready. 

“It is clear that the infection situation is constantly changing. We are of course following the authorities, and the Minister of Transport has contacted us, and now we will work to reintroduce the requirement for a seat ticket.

“In this case, it will be on trains that run the long distances in the country”, Bispeskov says. 

“The shorter trips with regional trains will not be covered. This is because, Benny Engelbrecht said earlier on Friday, that the system of seat tickets in the regional trains does not always work as intended if, for example, people are only on the train at a few stops. “

Tony Bispeskov says that they will follow the situation in the regional trains very closely and make sure to count and note whether people wear face masks if there is congestion. 

Health authorities recently changed official guidance, advising the use of face masks on busy public transport.

The Minister of Transport has given DSB a week to prove that they can run regional trains without a requirement for a seat reservation in a health-sound manner. 

Last Wednesday, DSB lifted the requirement for seat reservations, which was introduced in May. It was met with criticism from both politicians and health experts.

The minister has in recent days intervened in the debate on Twitter, but he has not until now demanded that DSB reintroduce the space requirement.

It comes as 169 confirmed cases of the coronavirus were registered in Denmark on Friday, the highest figure for a single day since 25 April. This is according to figures sent by health authorities to the parliamentary parties, DR says.