Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

COVID-19

Danish businesses could be fined thousands for failing to follow ‘corona passport’ rules

Businesses required to demand customers present valid ‘corona passports’ under Denmark’s requirements for lifting restrictions could face heavy fines for not complying with rules.

Published: 30 March 2021 17:27 CEST
Danish businesses could be fined thousands for failing to follow 'corona passport' rules
Photo: Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix

Owners of small businesses that do not live up to the requirements can be fined 3,000 kroner, while medium-sized and larger companies can be fined 6,000 and 12,000 kroner respectively.

The potential fine amounts were confirmed by the Danish Ministry of Justice to newspaper Politiken.

“The intention is that there will be set rules (stating) that failing to comply with corona passport rules can be punishable with a fine,” the ministry said via written comment.

The use of fines to enforce the corona passports was already confirmed, but the amounts had not yet been clarified. 

Denmark has previously announced plans for the introduction of a ‘corona passport’, which will serve as a crucial part of the reopening.

Set up as a smartphone application, the ‘corona passport’ certifies that the holder has had a negative test in the last 72 hours, a vaccination or has recently recovered from Covid-19, conferring immunity to the disease.

Paper certificates are also being distributed to vaccinated Danes or those who have tested negative but do not have a smartphone. 

Starting on April 6th, the passports will be required for people wanting to go to hairdressers, and for when outdoor service of food and drinks resumes on April 21st.

READ ALSO: How will Denmark use ‘corona passports’ in post-restriction reality?

Small businesses are defined as having up to nine staff. Medium-sized businesses are those with 10-49 employees, and large companies have 50 or more people on their payroll.

For each of the three categories, fines increase on second and third offences: to 6,000 and then 9,000 kroner for small businesses and 12,000-18,000 kroner or 30,000-45,000 kroner respectively for medium and large companies, according to Politiken’s report.

Meanwhile, a customer can also be fined for refusing to leave a business after being denied its services due to not fulfilling corona passport requirements.

The company has the right to call the police in such a situation. This can result in a 2,500 kroner fine to the customer: the same amount as for fines which can currently be given for breaching assembly limits or face mask requirements.

Member comments

  1. How does a foreign visitor to Denmark obtain a Danish corona passport? I am fully vaccinated with the Pfizer
    vaccine in the United States. I wish to visit my girlfriend in Denmark in April under the “Solemn Declaration on relationship for use in connection with entry.” I do not belong to the Danish medical system.

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

COVID-19

Who should get vaccinated against Covid and flu in Denmark and when?

It is still free to get a Covid-19 vaccine in Denmark if you are over the age of 65 or have a health condition, with the health authorities now running Covid and flu vaccinations together. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 26 October 2023 11:10 CEST
Who should get vaccinated against Covid and flu in Denmark and when?

Who is being offered a vaccine for Covid-19 or flu this autumn? 

According to the information on the Danish Health Authority’s website, Covid-19 and flu vaccines are being offered to: 

  • People over the age of 65
  • People under the age of 65 who have a health condition which puts them at increased risk. You can find a list of the long-term health conditions deemed a risk here. 
  • Pregnant women in the 2nd and 3rd trimester

Children between 2 and 6 years of age are being offered a special flu vaccine for children, which is administered as a nose spray, but not the Covid vaccine (unless they fit one of the categories above). 

Those who have retired early, for whatever reason, are also being offered the flu vaccine but not a Covid-19 vaccine.  

People over the age of 65 and the parents of children between the ages of 2 and 6 will automatically receive an invitation to get vaccinated though their digital postbox at borger.dk, e-Boks and mit.dk.

People in the other eligible categories will not receive an invitation. 

If you have not yet received an invitation, do not worry, as invitations are being staggered over October and the start of November.  

READ ALSO: 

When and where can I get vaccinated? 

This year’s autumn vaccination campaign started on October 1st and will continue until January 15th. 

You can get vaccinated at one of over 50 regional vaccination sites all over Denmark, or at the over 280 local pharmacies which are signed up to be part of the programme. 

Residents of care homes for the elderly and others in need will be offered vaccinated at their home.

You can log in and book an appointment at your nearest centre or pharmacy at Denmark’s official vaccination website www.vacciner.dk.

Is it possible to get vaccinated against both flu and Covid-19 at the same time? 

The Danish Health Authority has judged that it is safe to receive vaccines against both flu and Covid-19 at the same time, but the two vaccines cannot be mixed in the same syringe, so you will receive two separate injections. 

Is vaccination compulsory? 

No. Although the strongly recommends everyone in the various risk categories to get vaccinated, it is up to every individual whether to do so. 

Is it possible to get vaccinated even if I am not over 65 or in a risk group? 

It is no longer possible to get vaccinated against Covid-19 or flu through Denmark’s national vaccination programme if you are not in one of the recommended categories, after the country’s health authorities stopped offering paid vaccinations.  

But it remains possible to get vaccinated at a private vaccination centre, such as the SikkerRejse chain found in most Danish towns. The chain, which has a waiting list, offers doses of the latest Comirnaty Omicron XBB.1.5 vaccine for a total price of 995 kroner. 

SHOW COMMENTS