Danish government plans to make mask use mandatory again

Denmark is weighing making face mask use compulsory again in public transport and in shops, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke told a news conference on Wednesday.
This was a recommendation from the country's epidemic commission. Negative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests are to be valid for 72 hours, and rapid tests for 48 hours.
Mask use has not been mandatory in Denmark since September.
Compulsory use of mask and other measures are to be discussed by a parliamentary committee on Thursday. If approved, they are to come into force on Monday.
Due to sharply rising numbers, the so-called coronavirus pass, which shows proof of recovery or vaccination against Covid-19 - or a negative test - was reintroduced two weeks ago. The pass allows access to a variety of public areas.
Daily new infection numbers have repeatedly reached new highs for 2021 in recent days. On Wednesday, 4,426 new cases were recorded.
According to the Danish news agency Ritzau, this was the second highest daily figure since the start of the pandemic, with just one day in December 2020 having worse numbers.