Coronavirus: Dos and Don’ts in Denmark as at 17 April

To help navigate these uncertain times, the YDL team has put together a concise list. We will continue to post updates as and when the current advice changes.

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by Pippa Thompson and Bente D. Knudsen

DO

Practise social distancing – this means spending time ideally only with people you live with and keeping at least 1-2 m away from others when you go out, e.g. to a shop, respect the distance stickers which the shops have put on the floor and elsewhere to remind customers of keeping their distance.

Wash your hands regularly – for at least 20 seconds, using soap and water.

Spend time outdoors, but keep your distance from others – with the weather forecast looking good for the Easter break, all those who are healthy are likely to want to be outside, so please stay spread out, on the pavement, the beach, the forest or wherever you head to for a break from home.

Consider your mental health and find some time for yourself each day.

Facetime and Skype with friends and family.

Give your children a routine and support them with their remote learning if they cannot yet go to school.

Designate spaces in your home for work, study and play.

Take exercise.

Self-isolate for 14 days if you display any symptoms of corona virus – ideally this means sleeping in a separate bedroom, using a separate bathroom and eating apart from your family. You should not go out in public at all until the end of your illness.

If any of your household has returned from overseas since 14 March, they need to self-isolate for 14 days, the best is to do so as separate from the rest of the household as possible (if they have returned from a red area they need to be in complete isolation in a separate location, you can check which countries are red areas on the home page of the Danish Foreign Office). Find link to Foreign Office Travel Guidelines here.

Use your bike or car if you need to go to a shop, avoid public transport if you can.

Read a book, play music, dance and sing or watch a box set or a movie.

Keep an eye out for elderly neighbours – can you help them by visiting the supermarket on their behalf and leaving food at their door? Only if you have no symptoms at all.

Remember that pubs, restaurants, bars, department stores and shopping malls are closed until at least 10 May

Food shops, take out, Matas, Normal and pharmacies remain open.

From 20 April more small businesses can open such as hairdressers, physiotherapists, spa and beauty shops, driving schools, massage parlors

As of 15 April childcare facilities and schools for grade 0-5 will reopen with special measures taken

Get a takeaway if you don’t feel like cooking – you can continue to support local businesses this way.

Read updates only from trusted sources.

Think about people who might be on their own and phone them.

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DON’T

Go to the office unless necessary (this will be amended as of 15 April as Denmark opens up – your employer will inform you)

Touch your eyes, nose, mouth or face.

Take public transport unless necessary.

Hoard food or other household goods.

Visit a doctor’s surgery if you have symptoms of corona virus – telephone instead.

Gather in groups of 10 or more indoors or outdoors (excluded work, public transport).

Book travel (it can be difficult to know when an area opens up again).

Spend too much time on social media.

Believe everything that you read – look for trusted news outlets such as the WHO website or Danish government websites.

Try to make a dental appointment – dentists are closed for 3 months starting 17 March however they remain open for emergencies and treatment of on-going dental diseases that need treatment such as periodontitis. This will most likely be amended starting 20 April – we will update when more is known

Stand too close to others when out in public – maintain a distance of at least 1 – 2 m.

Leave your home if you are under quarantine or have any symptoms of illness such as pain in your throat, muscles, a cold, a fever or other flu like symptoms.

Worry too much about the things you cannot control.

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Overall, take care of yourself and think about the wellbeing of others. We are all in this together.

If you are sick, and have not been tested for coronavirus because you are not in the risk group, the Danish health authorities recommend the following:

Stay home. Don’t go to work. Cancel visits and talk with people over the telephone or video chat. Get others to assist you with shopping so you don’t go out and risk spreading infection.

Have as little contact as possible with others in your household. Avoid physical contact, like kisses and hugs, and try to maintain 1-2 meters distance. Avoid sleeping in the same bed or spending longer amounts of time together in the same room.

Focus on proper hand hygiene, wash your hands with soap and water frequently, or use hand sanitizer, particularly after going to the toilet, before preparing food, and after you blow your nose.

Be especially aware of your hands and avoid touching your face, and cough and sneeze into disposable tissues or the crook of your elbow. Don’t share towels with others.

Clean your bathroom and kitchen daily, as well as rooms you share with others in your household. Use regular cleaning products and focus particularly on points of shared contact, like door handles, coffee machines, touchscreens, etc. Take showers or find other ways to you clean yourself. You should also dispose of used tissues.

Wash towels, bedlinens and underwear at 80°C and other clothes as much as possible at 60°C.

Air out thoroughly at least twice a day for 10 minutes.

You are considered well again 48 hours after you had the last symptoms.

NEW is that those with mild symptoms can be tested for COVID-19 if their GP evaluates this to be important, for instance if you live in such a small space that contaminating others will be impossible to avoid, or if you are needed back at work because you have an essential function. In this case call your GP to hear if you comply with the criteria for testing even with mild symptoms.

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If you are ill and you start getting worse with symptoms such as pain, the feeling of being really sick and unwell, high fever and/ or respiratory problems, or if any of the above symptoms get worse, call you. GP or the on guard medical service, they will decide the next steps to take.

We will continue to post updates as and when the current advice changes. You can read more in English here. If you have received a letter in your e-boks it contains most of the information included here except information for risk groups.

If you need more information, or have questions, you can find information at coronavirus.dk (it has an English language option) or you can call the public help line at 70 20 02 33, it is open 24/7 (it may have some waiting time but usually you can get through quite quickly)

Source: coronavirus.dk and the Danish Health Authorities (Sundhedsstyrelsen)