Denmark and Norway announce further loosening of lockdown

Norway and Denmark announced plans to reopen large parts of the Scandinavian countries in the next few weeks as they seek to return to normal after their coronavirus lockdowns.

Norway went the furthest and said that, from Monday, its entire school system should reopen, one of the first European countries to take such a step.

Denmark will allow shops to reopen on Monday, but restaurants, cafés and school classes from sixth to 10th grades will open a week later.

Both countries locked down relatively early, on March 12, closing their schools and borders. As the number of cases and deaths from Covid-19 in Denmark and Norway has stabilised, both have sought to reopen gradually with kindergartens and primary schools already operating again as the governments seek to ease the blows to their economies.

“You have shown us patience, now it’s our turn to give back,” Norway’s prime minister Erna Solberg told the country on Thursday evening. “That is why we are presenting a plan to reopen Norway, a plan to take back everyday life.”


Dhaka/AKA