Last Week in Denmark (24.10 - 31.10) Episode 36
New maternity leave rules; Local hospitals; Inflation; New planet
Public Health HQ
Status: 76,3% of the population has been vaccinated (4.478.302 people). 75,1% of the population has received the second vaccine shot (4.410.406 people). 83,2% have received Pfizer/BioNTech; 12,4% Moderna; 3,4% AstraZeneca and 1% Johnson&Johnson. The region with the highest vaccination rate - North Denmark (78,2%).
Corona infection status: There is an average of 1500 new infected people every day. 221 people are hospitalized. The five municipalities with the highest rate of infection are: Albertslund, Brøndby, Ishøj, Glostrup and Fredensborg. Check out more data here.
Travel Guidelines: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the traffic light system of categorizing the countries has been abolished. From now on;
Fully vaccinated, previously infected and people with a negative test can enter Denmark without restrictions. If you are not vaccinated or previously infected and without a negative test, you must take one in Denmark in the first 24 hours.
Support for Romania: The fourth pandemic wave has devastated the Romanian healthcare system. In that light, Romania asked for help within the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Denmark answered the call and already sent a team of three doctors and six nurses.
Danish Politics HQ
New political party: Frie Grønne (Independent Greens) has gathered enough signatures (20.182) to be able to run for parliamentary elections in Denmark. In their own words, they are Denmark’s new antiracist and climate responsible party. The party was founded in April 2020 by former members of Alternativet (Uffe Elbæk, Susanne Zimmer, Niko Grünfeld) and it is led by Sikandar Siddique.
New local hospitals: The government presented 13 new initiatives as part of the reform “Closer to you II - Health, Education and Local Development”.
20 local hospitals (the first 13 potential locations have been announced - Nykøbing Mors, Skagen, Grenaa, Skive, Tarm, Fredericia, Nyborg, Tønder, Kalundborg, Nakskov, Næstved, Frederikssund and Helsingør) from 2023 (4 billion dkk investment).
5-10 extra ambulances and fast response teams.
All urban areas with at least 10.000 people should have the opportunity to host a youth education institution.
More money for rural development.
Open letter from the nurses: The regional government in Sjælland has received an open letter from the nurses union. They complain about double shifts, overcrowding, no possibility to take holiday and not enough time to train new employees. As we mentioned in the previous edition, we lack thousands of nurses in Denmark.
New maternity leave rules: The maternity leave rules we announced in the previous editions have been approved by the Danish Parliament and will enter in function from august 2022. The difference is that now both the mother and the father each have 11 weeks of leave, with another 26 weeks that can be shared.
If you are self-employed, the new maternity rules don’t apply.
For families with one parent - up to 46 weeks of leave.
Renovation of old public buildings: The municipalities and the regions can apply for a grant of 295 million dkk to improve the energy efficiency of old public buildings.
“Time to end long-term homelessness” announced Astrid Krag, the social affairs minister. There are 6500 homeless people in Denmark (30% more than ten years ago). The social minister proposes the following ideas to abolish homelessness:
2900 affordable houses with capped rent at 3500 dkk/monthly.
A national partnership between the state and NGO’s to find solutions.
135 million dkk for “orientation support” to help homeless people reintegrate into society (house, job, free time, etc.).
Danish Economy HQ
Inflation: Denmark's annual inflation increased to 2,2% in September of 2021 from 1,8% in the previous month. It was the highest inflation rate since November 2012, due to a rise in both prices of electricity (15,2%), pointing to the highest annual increase since December 2008 and gas (52,8%), which is the highest annual increase since July 1980.
The World in 2021 HQ
New planet discovered: Outside of our galaxy (Milky Way), at 28 million light-years away, astronomers have located an exoplanet. The first one outside of our galaxy.
Cyberattack on Iran: A cyberattack crippled gas stations across the country leaving angry motorists stranded in long lines.
The future of the world: A UN report, published before the climate summit COP26, shows that the world is heading for a catastrophic temperature rise of at least 2,7 degrees until 2100.
Facebook evolves: Facebook, Inc., the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, renames itself to Meta, Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg says that the renaming was done to reflect the company's diversification into other areas, such as virtual reality.
New condom: Malaysian gynaecologist John Tang Ing Chinh invented the world's first unisex condom, that can be used by both males and females, which is made from a medical-grade material normally used as a dressing for injuries and wounds.
European Union HQ
Orban vs. the World: At a rally in central Budapest, prime minister Viktor Orbán accused the United States, the European Union, and philanthropist George Soros of trying to meddle in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The accusations come as opinion polls show Orbán's alliance Fidesz–KDNP and the rival United Opposition polling neck-and-neck.
Matteo Salvini on trial: Salvini is accused of kidnapping and abuse of office when he ordered the detaining of 147 migrants at sea in August 2019, when he was serving as minister of the interior.
Future of Croatia: The pro-European forces led by prime-minister Andrej Plenkovic are fighting with the anti-European forces on the topic of adopting the euro in Croatia.
Winter is coming: Rising energy prices are causing concern in several EU member states. They fear that the citizens will not be able to afford to keep warm in the winter. Spain, France, Greece and the Czech Republic asked the European Union to jointly purchase gas to reduce prices. However, Denmark and other EU states have warned against such ideas.
Wall with Belarus: The Senate of Poland approved the construction of an estimated 353 million euro wall along the country's border with Belarus, in response to an influx of migrants.
France: Rémy Daillet, a far-right conspiracy theorist, is charged with planning "Operation Azul", a series of attacks against COVID-19 vaccination centres, a masonic lodge, journalists, prominent figures and parliament. Former soldiers had been hired to train recruits for the plot.