Last Week in Denmark (31.10 - 07.11) Episode 37
COVID-19 isn't over; Early voting; Bird flu alert
Public Health HQ
Status: 76,5% of the population has been vaccinated (4,490,057 people). 75,3% of the population received the second vaccine shot (4,418,619 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 (78,4%).
Corona infection status: There is an average of 2000 new infected people every day. 277 people are hospitalized. The five municipalities with the highest rate of infection are: Albertslund, Brøndby, Ishøj, Glostrup and Tårnby. 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.
Alert from the experts: As the number of cases continues to grow in Denmark, the experts say that it would be a good idea to reintroduce the use of face masks and coronapass checks.
COVID-19 isn’t over: The Statens Serum Institut predicts that the number of infections will rise up to 4500 in December.
Danish Politics HQ
Early voting: This is the last week you can go for the early voting opportunity for the Local and Regional elections. You can do so until the 12th of November. Visit your municipality’s website to find out where you can vote. Remember you can also vote on the 16th of November.
Who do you most agree with? : If you are unsure who to vote for, DR created a survey containing 29 statements that you can agree or disagree with and you can find out which of the candidates you most agree with. Take the test here.
Danish Economy HQ
MitID: The first people received their bank notice to switch to MitID already, but the new system proved to be flawed so instead of giving their customers 30 days to switch, the banks extended this period by 15 days.
Higher taxes for shipping companies: This is what some parties are asking for. Mærsk is one of the industry’s giants and in 2021 alone it is heading for the 100 billion DKK mark in profits, but still gets state aid in form of lower taxation.
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
Bird flu: The World Organization for Animal Health reports an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu at a turkey farm in Slagelse, Denmark.
Nurses strike again: Nurses throughout the country went on strike for an hour between 7:45 and 8:45 last Wednesday. The same mix of problems is at the heart of the strike: lack of personnel and low salaries.
“Vote for Jan. He is good enough”: Bridget, the computer-generated TV host that reads the news for bornholm.nu was bought to run a political ad.
The World in 2021 HQ
Ethiopia: because the Tigray Defence Forces and Oromo Liberation Army have gained more control over the areas around Tigray, the country declares a six-month state of emergency. This is supposed to block TDF’s intentions to advance to Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. The authorities from the capital told its citizens to register arms and to prepare to defend their neighborhoods.
Bosnia and Herzegovina I: The prospect of returning to conflict is real in Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the UN’s High Representative, Christian Schmidt, the country is in danger of breaking up.
New Zealand: Gary Freedman completes the first electric plane flight across New Zealand's Cook Strait.
The G20 Summit: World leaders agree to the tax deal stating that large businesses should be taxed with at least 15% of their profit.
NATO: The Defense Alliance NATO has noticed with concern that China is in the process of arming itself massively. It says NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, at a press conference in the Prime Minister's Office, according to Ritzau. The global balance of power is changing. Not least because China is emerging as a larger and stronger military power. "We see them in Africa, in the Arctic, and we see China trying to control critical infrastructure in Europe".
Bosnia and Herzegovina II: Heavy rain has been causing flash floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with evacuations, power outages, water submerged roads, and the closing of an oxygen facility used for COVID-19 patients.
Australia: Researchers from James Cook University report that 98% of the Great Barrier Reef has been affected by coral bleaching as a result of climate change, more than was previously thought.
European Union HQ
France: French President Emmanuel Macron announces that his government will postpone the imposition of "tighter controls" on British imports initially scheduled for Tuesday midnight as negotiations between France, the UK, and the European Commission over the rights of French fishermen to fish in Jersey's territorial waters continue. Read more here.
US vs. EU: United States Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announces the removal of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the European Union that were imposed during the presidency of Donald Trump. European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis announces that the block will reciprocate the action on U.S. imports, ending a trade war.