COVID-19 cases rise every day in Denmark, but the country is confident it can live without restrictions for now

People in Denmark are enjoying life in a way that might have seemed inconceivable just a few months ago.

Despite having some of the highest rates of infection in the world, they're drinking in crowded bars, hugging their loved ones and ditching their masks.

It's behaviour that has typically been labelled reckless and selfish during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

But now it marks a transition to post-COVID life.

At the beginning of February, the Danish government decided COVID-19 was no longer a "socially critical disease" and it scrapped all restrictions.

Danes aren't even legally required to quarantine.

Catch up on the main COVID-19 news from February 13 with a look back at our blog.

On an outdoor ice-rink in central Copenhagen, Julie Lindholm and her daughter, Anna, enjoyed their new-found freedoms as they skated with dozens of others on a clear-blue afternoon.

Ms Lindholm said lockdowns and restrictions made her realise how much she took for granted and she was "grateful" they were gone.

"I love it," she said.

"Suddenly we can all be together and go skating without being afraid of each other."

Ms Lindholm said she knew the rest of the world was watching her country's approach closely.

"I understand why people … are worried. I was very worried to begin with," she said.

'But … we all we did as the government told us to do. We all got the vaccine."

While Denmark has been one of the first EU countries to move toward unwinding all COVID-19 restrictions, its attitude towards the virus hasn't always been so relaxed.

A new way of thinking

Denmark was among the first countries in the world to implement a lockdown, in March 2020, amid the rapid spread of COVID-19.

It also invested heavily in genomic sequencing to track new variants like the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron, which is now dominant in Denmark and even more transmissible than the original strain.

And when the Omicron variant began spreading rapidly last year, Denmark reimposed restrictions on workplaces, hospitality and schools in December.

But Tyra Grove Krause, the chief epidemiologist at Denmark's State Serum Institute, said it also sparked a major rethink in the country's approach to COVID-19.

"It's not so serious anymore," she told the ABC.

"First of all, we have a very high vaccination coverage in Denmark."

More than 80 per cent of the Danish population has had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, while more than 60 per cent of all Danes have received a booster.

"We also have the extensive transmission with the variant that has proven to be less severe, compared to the previous variants," Dr Krause said.

Read more about the spread of COVID-19:

The Omicron wave triggered a massive spike in cases in the country, with Denmark currently recording one of the highest daily rates of COVID-19 in the world.

The latest figures show a daily rate in Denmark of 7,370 cases per 1 million people, according to Our World in Data.

In comparison, Australia's daily case rate is less than 1,000 per 1 million.

Despite the surge in case numbers, the pressure on Denmark's intensive care units has eased.

How Omicron prompted a move to post-COVID life

Dr Krause, who advises the Danish government, said a crucial link had been broken between case numbers and serious illness.

"We see a decoupling of the number of cases and then the number of severely ill patients that need hospital care. That's very clear," Dr Krause said.

"The strategy has, all the way through, been not to put more restrictions on the population than is actually needed to control the epidemic. And right now, the numbers look quite good."

In the early days of Omicron, Dr Nicolai Haase was worried his intensive care unit at Copenhagen University Hospital would be flooded with patients.

"That was the risk … that, if the numbers went up too high in society, then we would maybe not be able to treat everyone," he told the ABC.

"But things have changed dramatically and we can say for sure that we will not get flooded."

However, Dr Haase said, there was pressure on other wards due to the sheer number of new cases.

"People come there and test positive with COVID-19 … and they [need] all these isolation precautions. So there's a large number there," he said.

"But it's just a small fraction that turns critically ill and have to come to the ICU."

COVID-related deaths have been rising in Denmark, reaching a seven-day rolling average of 23 per day.

Read more about the vaccine rollout:

Dr Krause said that, when so many people were infected, neither the hospital admission figures nor the death statistics painted the full picture.

"We have estimated … about one-third of the COVID-19 related deaths that are reported now may just be due to people dying with a positive test and not because of COVID-19," she said.

Yet, despite the high number of cases and rising COVID-19 deaths, there seems to be significant community support for the lifting of restrictions.

Danish people are 'very responsible'

While Danes are no longer legally required to quarantine after a positive test, there is still a strong recommendation for people to isolate for at least four days.

Officials are also strongly encouraging people to use masks in hospitals and in aged care facilities, while staff are offered regular testing.

Philip Kongsted, a 25-year-old student, said he believed Danes would do the right thing.

"Danish people are very understanding," he told the ABC after a taking a dip in the icy Copenhagen Harbour.

"It's like the normal flu — when you feel the symptoms … you stay home."

Osvald Windfeld, a 17-year old floristry worker, said he believed young people would still take precautions to protect more vulnerable members of the community.

"My age group has really been taking this seriously," he said.

Dr Krause said the willingness of Danes to follow official advice was a factor in lifting restrictions.

"People in Denmark are very responsible," she said.

"I think people, in general, they have a high degree of trust in the authorities and then they follow the recommendations."

But she warned many other countries would be poorly placed to scrap all restrictions in a similar fashion.

Stay up-to-date on the coronavirus outbreak

"In those countries that have lower [vaccine] coverage, the consequences of letting Omicron loose … would be more serious," she said.

About 37 per cent of the Australian population has received a booster, against 61 per cent in Denmark.

Even so, the Danes know their freedoms could be taken away, because it's happened before.

Uncertainty over future of COVID-19 restrictions

Denmark lifted almost all of its COVID-19 restrictions in September, with the country's health minister declaring "the epidemic is under control".

Not long after, the country was reinstating them again.

A rapidly spreading virus increases the risk of a new variant emerging, with the potential to be more dangerous than Omicron.

For Peter Rose, a chef at Kødbyens Fiskebar in Copenhagen, it's a scenario he'd rather not think about.

Customers are finally filling his restaurant and the business is profitable again.

"We hope it's the last lockdown and we assume that, but you never know what's going to happen next winter," he said.

Another uncertainty is the impact of long-COVID, especially considering one-third of the adult population is believed to have contracted the virus since November.

Dr Krause said that had been factored in.

"If you get severely ill, the risk of getting long-COVID is higher. And the experience that we have now is that the risk of getting severely ill is very low if you have previously [been] vaccinated," he said.

Like all countries, Denmark is trying to find the right balance between protection and freedom.

Sarah Backer Vangsted, who owns a bar with her husband, said the country's 4,000 COVID-related deaths were "very awful" but she supported the lifting of restrictions.

"It feels like Denmark [is] starting to kind of figure out how we are going to do it in a responsible way," she said.

"And, hopefully, that works worldwide so everyone can feel good again."

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