As part of the plan, on 15 June the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark will revise the travel advice for Germany, Iceland and Norway, enabling Danes to gradually resume international travel. The travel advice for these countries will be changed from risk level ‘orange’ to ‘yellow’. This means that Danish citizens will be permitted travel to these countries, but they are advised to continue to exercise caution and keep up to date on the current situation. The travel advice will continue to advise against travel to the rest of Europe and the world until 31 August.
“I am glad that we can cautiously begin opening up for international travel from Denmark to a small group of our neighbouring countries where the spread of COVID-19 is deemed to be the best under control. Danes are passionate about travel and want to explore and experience the world. But the global pandemic is far from over, and there is a long way to go before the world truly begins to open up. We have thus taken a cautious approach in the development of our plan. As far as possible, we want to avoid a situation where Danish travellers can bring infection back to Denmark or become stranded abroad due to local restrictions. The safety and security of Danes is a top priority,” says Minister for Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark also advises Danes to avoid travel in densely populated areas. More specifically, travel to urban areas with populations of 750,000 or higher should be avoided. Hotels reservations should not be made in such areas, but it is permitted to pass through these areas in transit.
The Government is currently in talks with Sweden and Finland, which may lead to further re-opening of the travel advice before 31 August. In the case of Sweden, for example, this may involve a regional provision focusing on the Oresund Region.
However, if the spread of infection begins to move in the wrong direction, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark is prepared to tighten the travel advice once more.
“Re-opening is a difficult process, and we do not want to take any chances. That is why we are starting with a small re-opening to our neighbouring countries and otherwise maintaining the advice against all non-essential travel to the rest of the world until 31 August,” says Minister for Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark bases the re-opening of the travel advice on three criteria:
1. A cautious approach that enables us to prevent Danish travellers from bringing infection back to Denmark.
2. The risk of infection for Danish travellers.
3. Local travel restrictions abroad, e.g. entry bans and quarantine rules.
For additional press information:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark – Press Desk @: pressevagten@um.dk
