Italy and Denmark Reviews 2020
Italy
2020
October
Stricter rules after increased spread of infection
October 7
Requirements for outdoor mouth protection are being introduced throughout the country and the government is extending the state of emergency introduced due to the pandemic until 31 January. The measures are being implemented against the background of a sharp increase in the spread of infection in the country. One week later, bars and restaurants are ordered to close at midnight and the number of participants at weddings, baptisms and funerals is set at 30. Italians are urged to avoid dinners involving more than six people in addition to those belonging to the household. More restrictions will follow in October and the governing parties will agree on a new support package to support the healthcare and education sector as well as the companies affected by the pandemic’s effects.
The government wants to soften migrant laws
October 6
According to aristmarketing, the government adopts a decree that partially repeals the tough laws against migrants that were adopted when Matteo Salvini from Lega Nord was Minister of the Interior in 2018 and 2019. In a statement, the government announces that the right to asylum is strengthened as well as migrants’ right to work permits. . Furthermore, the fines for voluntary organizations that rescue refugees at sea and enter Italian territorial waters without a permit are reduced from EUR 1 million to between EUR 10,000 and EUR 50,000. For the reforms to become a reality, they must be approved by Parliament within 60 days.
September
Regions reintroduce coronary restrictions
September 28
In a number of regions in Italy, some restrictions are once again beginning to apply to limit the spread of covid-19. To be able to visit Sicily, travelers now need to take a corona test and it will also be mandatory to wear a mouth guard outdoors as well. In the rest of Italy, there are requirements for mouth guards on trains, in shops and during the day in public places where many people gather. Recently, the number of cases of coronavirus has begun to increase in the country. In total, about 310,000 have been infected by the coronavirus in the country and over 35,800 people have died in covid-19.
Adversities for Salvini in the regional elections
September 21st
Matteo Salvini and his party Lega do not reach the goal of taking control of Tuscany, a traditional left-wing party, when elections are held in seven regions: in addition to Tuscany, Campania, Liguria, Marche, Apulia, Aosta Valley and Veneto. Early results show that Lega’s Susanna Ceccardi, who is running for the right-wing alliance that also includes the Italian brothers, lost in Tuscany by about 40 percent against 48 percent for Eugenio Giani from the Democratic Party (PD). The right retains power in Venice and Liguria, while the left continues to rule Campania and Puglia. In the Marche region, the brothers of Italy win. In the referendum held at the same time as the regional elections, about 70 percent of the voters say yes to a constitutional amendment which means that the parliament is reduced by a total of 345 seats.
August
Court rejects attempt to close refugee camp in Sicily
August 27th
A regional court in Sicily rules in a judgment that a decision of the regional government of Sicily to close camps for migrants is invalid. Regional President Nello Musumeci argued that the camps must be closed to stop the spread of the coronavirus and that migrants should be relocated outside Sicily. The Italian Government then turned to the Regional Court to review the decision. The court ruled that there was no evidence that the spread of the coronavirus had worsened among Sicilian residents due to migration.
Military exercise in the eastern Mediterranean
August 26th
Italy will take part in military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean together with Greece, Cyprus and France. The exercises will last for three days and they will be carried out in the light of the recent conflict with Turkey. Tensions have been raised following the discovery of gas deposits off Cyprus and in the sea near Greek Crete. The conflict has recently escalated after Turkey sent the research vessel Oruc Reis to search for energy deposits in disputed sea areas.
Denmark
2020
December
Prohibition of breeding minks
December 21st
The Danish parliament introduces a law banning mink breeding throughout 2021. Denmark, which is the world’s largest exporter of mink furs, decided in November 2020 that all of the country’s more than 15 million minks would be killed after a mutated variant of the corona virus was discovered among minks in the country. After the minks were killed, the authorities stated that the mutated virus no longer existed.
November
The Prime Minister regrets the decision to reduce
26 November
Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen apologizes for the government earlier in November ordering that all the country’s reductions should be killed despite the fact that there was no legal basis for such a decision (see 4 and 18 November, respectively). Fredriksen is strongly emotionally affected when she speaks during a visit to a mink breeder in Jutland who was forced to kill all her animals even though they were healthy. Freriksen says that mistakes have been made and that what has happened is not the mink breeders’ fault but pandemics.
The mink business overthrows the minister
November 18
Minister of Agriculture Mogens Jensen announces that he is leaving his post. The reason is that it has emerged that the government did not have a legal basis for its decision earlier in November to kill all the mink in the country in order to stop the spread of a mutated coronavirus (see 4 November). The government only had the right to issue an order to kill minks on farms where the mutated virus was discovered, not all minks. “It is clear that mistakes were made at my ministry and I take responsibility for that,” says Jensen in connection with the resignation notice.
Millions of minks must be killed
November 4
The government orders that all minks bred in the country must be killed after the discovery that a mutated coronavirus among minks can be spread to humans. Up to 15 million minks are affected. The mutated virus is suspected to be able to make the vaccines that are under development less effective. The next day, all residents of northern Jutland, where the virus has been detected, are banned from leaving the region. North Jutland is also closed to arrivals.
September
Restrictions are reintroduced after the spread of infection
September 8
The gradually increasing spread of infection in Denmark leads to stricter restrictions. Restaurants and cafés in Copenhagen and Odense must close at midnight and crowds are limited to 50 people from the current 100. In the last 24 hours, 230 new cases of covid-19 have been found while 29 people have been admitted to hospital. According to Denmark’s Minister of Health Magnus Heunicke, the situation is “the most worrying” since last spring.
