Denmark recommends wearing face masks to curb virus

Denmark announced Thursday that it was now recommending that people wear face masks in certain circumstances due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Health authorities had previously deemed the wearing of face masks in public spaces unnecessary but changed their recommendation following advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) in late June.

"Masks can be used to protect others in certain situations, when other tools to prevent the spread are not enough," deputy director of the Danish Health Authority Helene Probst, said in a statement.

Situations in which the wearing of face masks is now recommended include hospital visits for virus testing, transport from a risk area to an airport and when caring for relatives with COVID-19.

"Our most important recommendation is that if you are infected or could be infected with COVID-19 you should isolate yourself," Probst added.

However, the health authority maintains that the most effective measures in curbing the spread are still isolating those infected, social distancing and scrupulous hygiene routines.

Denmark, which was one of the first countries in Europe to impose semi-confinement and also the first to reopen its schools, has received praise for its management of the crisis.

It has cautiously started to reopen its borders since mid-June and decided on Thursday to allow travel to and from the south of neighbouring Sweden, but not the whole country.

Sweden, which has drawn the world's attention with its softer approach to curbing the spread, has a much higher recorded number of cases of the new virus and associated deaths than all of its Nordic neighbours.

© 2020 AFP