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COPENHAGEN, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is expected to announce on Wednesday the removal of all COVID-19 restrictions by the end of this month, daily Jyllands-Posten reported on Tuesday citing several sources.
Denmark loosened restrictions two weeks ago after a month-long lockdown, allowing cinemas and music venues to reopen, but some rules remain, including limited opening hours for restaurants and mandatory face masks.
JP reported that the shift is based on recommendations from an expert panel that also recommends removing the classification of COVID-19 as a disease that is a critical threat to society, which has allowed the current restrictions.
The newspaper said Frederiksen was due to give a media briefing on Wednesday evening to make the announcement. Her office declined to comment on the report.
The Nordic country registered 40,348 new cases on Monday, down from a peak of 47,831 on Friday. The number of coronavirus-related hospitalisations rose to 894, the highest in a year.
But health authorities said it estimated between 30%-40% of those currently in hospital with a positive coronavirus test are there for other reasons than COVID-19.
Since a peak of 82 on Jan. 6, the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care has fallen steadily to 43 on Monday. (Reporting by Nikolaj Skydsgaard and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Alex Richardson and Alison Williams)
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