Two additional Omicron Covid-19 cases confirmed 

Two more Covid-19 cases in Denmark have been confirmed as caused by the new Omicron variant, the national infectious disease agency SSI said yesterday afternoon.

The new cases bring the total number of incidences of the variant in Denmark to at least four, with several more still under investigation.

All cases so far are connected to travel to South Africa, the country which first detected and raised the alarm over the variant last week.

A school in Odense which was closed due to a suspected case with the variant meanwhile said that Omicron had been found not to have been at play in the case in question.

Snowstorms in Zealand and Jutland

Much of the country is seeing heavy snow or sleet this morning, with weather following the warnings earlier issued by met office DMI of snowstorms in much of Jutland and northern parts of Zealand.

Temperatures are between freezing point and 2 degrees Celsius, so any snow that settles is likely to quickly melt.

The weather could cause traffic delays and motorists are advised to take the conditions into account.

Government to present updated list of underprivileged areas

The government will today publish an updated list of areas which are considered “udsatte” or underprivileged, including the list formerly known as the “ghetto list”. That term has now fortunately been scrapped in official references to the list.

In order to be included on the list, a housing area must meet a set number of criteria. The criteria relate to factors including the ethnic backgrounds of residents, employment status and income.

The list is relevant because neighbourhoods included on it on the list can be subjected to special treatment under the law, including harsher punishments for certain crimes, mandatory daycare for children, and housing reforms which can force people to move.

The list is renewed annually on December 1st.

READ ALSO: Denmark cracks down on ‘non-Western’ neighbourhoods

Long-term unemployment down but still higher than before pandemic

The number of people classed as langtidsledige or long-term unemployed has declined in recent months but is still some way of reaching pre-Covid levels, according to official figures reported by news wire Ritzau.

To fall into the category, a person must have been out of work for 80 percent of the last 12 months.

October saw the number of people in that situation fall by 3,500 to 27,965. It peaked in April this year at 42,300. Before Covid-19 hit Denmark, there were around 24,500 long-term unemployed.