Denmark imposes new restrictions to curb coronavirus spike

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Health Minister Magnus Heunicke attend a COVID-19 news conference in the Prime Minister's Office in Copenhagen, Denmark September 18, 2020. Ritzau Scanpix/Martin Sylvest via REUTERS

Denmark will lower the limit on public gatherings to 50 people from 100 and order bars and restaurants to close early to curb a rise in new COVID-19 infections, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Friday.

Denmark has seen daily infections rise in recent weeks after relaxing lockdown measures imposed between March and May.

In the last 24 hours, 454 new coronavirus infections have been registered in Denmark, close to an April record of 473.

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke and Kaare Moelbak of the Statens Serum Institut attend a COVID-19 news conference in the Prime Minister's Office in Copenhagen, Denmark September 18, 2020. Ritzau Scanpix/Martin Sylvest via REUTERS

The reproduction rate, which indicates how many people one infected person on average transmits the virus to, is at 1.5 across the country, Frederiksen said.

Bars and restaurants will have to close at 10 P.M. Both measures will take effect from Saturday, Sept. 19 and last until Oct. 4.

"At present, the restrictions are not comprehensive enough to send the Danish economy backwards," Sydbank economist Soren Kristensen said in a note.

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Thorkild Fogde chief of police, attend a COVID-19 news conference in the Prime Minister's Office in Copenhagen, Denmark September 18, 2020. Ritzau Scanpix/Martin Sylvest via REUTERS

"However, it will affect the Danish economy and so we might see the recovery losing further momentum."

(Reporting by Nikolaj Skydsgaard; Editing by Toby Chopra and Janet Lawrence)

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks at a COVID-19 news conference in Copenhagen, Denmark September 18, 2020. Ritzau Scanpix/Martin Sylvest via REUTERS

People wearing protective masks ride the metro, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Copenhagen, Denmark August 22, 2020. Ritzau Scanpix/Olafur Steinar Rye Gestsson via REUTERS