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COVID-19

Danish police investigate businesses for breaching lockdown

A number of businesses were reported on Monday to have breached lockdown rules by reopening.

Published: 15 February 2021 16:50 CET
Danish police investigate businesses for breaching lockdown
Salon LeOne is amongst businesses which opened on Monday in protest at lockdown rules, according to Ritzau. Photo: Emil Helms/Ritzau Scanpix

Owners of a number of stores had already declared they were planning to break with the current lockdown rules which require them to stay shuttered. They planned to reopen in protest at the lockdown, broadcaster DR reported.

As of Monday afternoon, police in Denmark have received 16 reports of illegally opened businesses and are responding to those reports, DR writes.

Two businesses have already been issued with fines.

“The two businesses which we found ourselves during patrols have been charged. We are currently investigating the 15 others,” National Police deputy police inspector Kim Erik Hansen told DR. The number of reported businesses increased from 15 to 16 after Hansen provided comment.

Lockdown rules enable authorities to issue fines of 10,000 kroner for businesses with up to 10 staff if they open in breach of the rules. Fines can increase in accordance with the number of employees.

The reported businesses are located primarily on Funen and Zealand and in Copenhagen, DR writes.

An interest organisation for small businesses in Denmark advised earlier on Monday companies not to break rules by reopening, amid rumours that a small number had planned to break with the lockdown.

“I distance myself clearly from (illegal reopening). It is never a solution to take the law into your own hands,” Jacob Brandt, CEO of SMVdanmark, told news wire Ritzau.

Although SMVdanmark is not in support of the action, Brandt said he had sympathy for small business owners who are hit hard by the current situation.

“It underlines how incredibly important it is that we see a plan from the government on when a reopening can be expected,” he said.

“Is it in 14 days or 2-3 months? And if reopening is a long way into the future, a new compensation and help package will be necessary and this must cover 100 percent of all business owners’ overheads,” he added.

The current national lockdown, which requires all shops not selling food or essential daily items to remain closed, is set to run until at least February 28th.

READ ALSO: Denmark sustains low rate of Covid-19 infections but B117 spread continues

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COVID-19

Public Health Agency recommends two Covid doses next year for elderly

Sweden's Public Health Agency is recommending that those above the age of 80 should receive two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine a year, once in the spring and once in the autumn, as it shifts towards a longer-term strategy for the virus.

Published: 23 December 2022 10:53 CET
Public Health Agency recommends two Covid doses next year for elderly

In a new recommendation, the agency said that those living in elderly care centres, and those above the age of 80 should from March 1st receive two vaccinations a year, with a six month gap between doses. 

“Elderly people develop a somewhat worse immune defence after vaccination and immunity wanes faster than among young and healthy people,” the agency said. “That means that elderly people have a greater need of booster doses than younger ones. The Swedish Public Health Agency considers, based on the current knowledge, that it will be important even going into the future to have booster doses for the elderly and people in risk groups.” 

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People between the ages of 65 and 79 years old and young people with risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, poor kidney function or high blood pressure, are recommended to take one additional dose per year.

The new vaccination recommendation, which will start to apply from March 1st next year, is only for 2023, Johanna Rubin, the investigator in the agency’s vaccination programme unit, explained. 

She said too much was still unclear about how long protection from vaccination lasted to institute a permanent programme.

“This recommendation applies to 2023. There is not really an abundance of data on how long protection lasts after a booster dose, of course, but this is what we can say for now,” she told the TT newswire. 

It was likely, however, that elderly people would end up being given an annual dose to protect them from any new variants, as has long been the case with influenza.

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