COPENHAGEN, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Denmark's ministers of justice, health and education jointly presented a plan for the country's further reopening, starting on March 1, at a press conference here on Wednesday.
The decision to reopen the country came after an agreement was reached among the ruling coalition parties, which also takes into account the regional disparities in Denmark's infection rates.
Shops with a floor area of less than 5,000 square meters will reopen on Monday across Denmark, while larger stores will be allowed to reopen to a limited number of customers and by appointment only. The country's large shopping malls will have to remain closed.
The limit on gatherings will be increased from five to 25 persons but only for outdoor sports and association activities. Zoos and amusement parks will be allowed to reopen, but visitors will have to provide a negative coronavirus test no older than 72 hours.
All graduating students in public schools, gymnasiums and adult education in the North Jutland and West Jutland regions will be allowed to return to their classrooms but only to 50 percent of capacity. All these students will have to be tested for coronavirus twice a week.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at a press conference later in the day encourages Danes to persevere for the next few months until the summer holidays. "The pandemic tests our endurance, our patience and unfortunately also increasingly our unity," she said.
The Statens Serum Institut (SSI) said on Wednesday that 350,000 Danes had already received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. The country has 5.8 million inhabitants.
As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in some countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.
Meanwhile, 255 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 73 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain and the United States, according to information released by the World Health Organization on Feb. 23. Enditem
