COPENHAGEN, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- As nationwide COVID-19 infection rates climb again, the Danish Health Authority has decided to halt the fourth stage of the reopening plan scheduled for Saturday, the Ministry of Health announced in a press release on Thursday.
"The epidemic is increasing globally and in several places in Europe while recently we have seen an increase in the number of Danes infected with coronavirus," said Minister for Health and Elderly Affairs Magnus Heunicke.
"Therefore, the government does not believe that at present it is right to raise the assembly ban from 100 to 200. We divided the reopening into phases so that we can take stock of the situation before each phase transition," said Heunicke in the press release.
The phase 4 reopening is an all-party agreement made in May and meant to be implemented during August, allowing for nightclubs, discos, and educational facilities to reopen.
All-party political negotiations on how the further reopening of Denmark should proceed are scheduled to take place next week.
The number of COVID-19 cases has spiked in Denmark in recent weeks. The country now has a total of 14,306 cases and 617 deaths, according to health authorities. Enditem
