Denmark mulling plan to reopen country following coronavirus shutdown, acknowledges difficulties

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Denmark will soon take steps to end its coronavirus shutdown, reports suggest.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is expected to make the announcement at a press conference on Monday. The plan is to begin reopening the country after Easter, and it will only proceed if the number of cases and deaths remains stable, according to reports.

Earlier last week, Frederiksen met with party leaders. The majority believe that a deep recession could be more damaging to the country than a second outbreak.

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"The situation we are in is far more complicated than appreciating human life," Frederiksen said last Monday.

"We cannot open a textbook -- neither on healthcare nor economy -- and find the right answer," she said, adding: "The math is too simple."

On March 11, Denmark was the first nation in Europe to effectively shut down -- closing schools, restaurants and even national borders.

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Those quick and severe restrictions have kept both cases and deaths relatively low, with 4,369 confirmed cases as of Sunday morning and 179 deaths.

"What we've done so far is very sensible, but I would have liked to see a development over a longer period before I dared to say that the curve is broken," said Hans Jorn Kolmos, a professor in clinical microbiology at the University of Southern Denmark.

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Danish newspaper Berlingske notes that any plan to reopen the country will be difficult, with Frederiksen consulting party leaders and local authorities on the best way forward.

"When we open our society again, we have to do it gradually and we have to make it staggered," Frederiksen said.

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“For example, we may have to work, educate and attend school at different times of the day," the prime minister said. "We have to distribute beyond the hours of the day; we have to prevent rush hour in public transport, and when we go to work, it has to be in a different way than we are used to."