Denmark Begins Gradual Reopening With 'Corona Passport'

Danish authorities have started the gradual reopening of the country amid the pandemic with the 'Corona passport', which will officially document a negative Covid-19 test taken within the last 72 hours, a previous infection during the past two to 12 weeks, or a completed vaccination course.

The passport, which can be downloaded and shown by an app onto a smartphone or alternatively printed out from the website of health portal Sundhed.dk, was introduced on Tuesday by the Danish Health Authority, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We are pleased to deliver the solution that contributes to the gradual reopening of Denmark. We have been working hard under high pressure lately. So it is great to be able to say that we are ready to start," Morten Elbaek Petersen, CEO of Sundhed.dk, said in a statement.

The initial beneficiaries of the passport will be a number of liberal professions, such as hair salons and driving schools.

However, customers are still required to use a face mask when they present their valid "corona passport".

Children under 15 years are exempt from the requirements.

Sundhed.dk expects a huge application for the passport from people eagerly seeking to resume their "pre-Covid" lives, said Petersen.

"I would also like to say that at times you have to expect waiting time and queues, as we anticipate a great deal of pressure on the system. This can also be the case with the website and app if many people log on at the same time."

According to a poll conducted by Danish news agency Ritzau on Tuesday, 67 per cent of those surveyed think a "corona passport" is a good idea, while 16 per cent said that it was a bad idea.

The Danish government on March 23 announced a phased reopening plan after lengthy negotiations between the government and the majority of parliamentary parties.

According to the Statens Serum Institut (SSI), Denmark registered 520 new Covid cases and two more deaths in the past 24 hours.

To date, the country has reported 234,317 cases and 2,432 deaths.