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HEALTH

Danish rail company reintroduces seat reservation rule

Denmark's national rail company DSB has agreed to reintroduce the requirement for seat reservations on long-distance train journeys, after announcing earlier in the week they would abolish them.

Published: 8 August 2020 16:57 CEST
Danish rail company reintroduces seat reservation rule
Photo: Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix

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.  

 

 

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HEALTH

Are Danes cutting back on cigarettes and alcohol?

Danish stores sold a significantly lower quantity of alcohol and cigarettes over the counter last year, new data from Statistics Denmark show.

Published: 14 June 2024 07:42 CEST
Are Danes cutting back on cigarettes and alcohol?

Some 3,852 cigarettes were sold year, which amounts to 804 per person over the age of 18. But that compares to a figures of 854 per person on 2022.

Cigarette sales in Denmark have been declining since 2018.

Sales of sprits, beer and wine fell by 7.8 percent, 5.3 percent and 0.9 percent respectively.

Danish business sold the equivalent of 44.4 million litres of pure alcohol, which works out at 11.9 units per week on average for each person over the age of 18.

Although that is a lower value than in 2022, it still exceeds the amount recommended by the Danish Health Authority (Sundhedsstyrelsen).

The Health Authority recommends that adults over 18 drink no more than 10 units per week and no more than four in a single day.

READ ALSO: Should Denmark raise the minimum age for buying alcohol?

“The numbers are still too high and it’s an average that could have a skewed distribution,” University of Southern Denmark professor, Janne Tholstrup, said in relation to the alcohol sales figures. Tholstrup has published research on Denmark’s alcohol culture.

That is in spite of a 30-year-trend of falling alcohol consumption, according to the professor.

“The majority of Danes stay under the recommended 10 unite per week. That means there is a large group with a persistently excessive consumption of alcohol,” she said.

The Statistics Denmark figures also show that sales of loose tobacco – such as the type used in roll-up cigarettes and pipes – also fell last year. Some 58 tonnes less were sold compared to 2022.

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