Denmark considering gradual lift of restrictions

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Denmark could start lifting some restrictions next month if the coronavirus curve continues to flatten out.

Frederiksen said late Monday that if Danes continue to stand together at a distance the government will consider gradually opening up in two weeks' time.

She underlined that the crisis was far from over but there was growing evidence that Denmark, which started a gradual lockdown on March 11, had succeeded in delaying the infection, adding it gave a rise to optimism.

Also in the Nordic region, Finland has decided to extend by a month the duration of the emergency conditions in the southern part of the country affecting the daily lives of some 1.7 million people, nearly a third of Finland's population.

The measures set by the Prime Minister Sanna Marin's government were originally set to expire April 13 but the restrictions, now extended to May 13, were aimed at slowing down the spread of coronavirus infections and to protect those at risk.