Why Denmark’s Covid deaths and hospitalisations are going up after it lifts all pandemic restrictions

On 1 February, Denmark lifted all its Covid-19 restrictions. You could be diagnosed with coronavirus and walk lawfully (if not ethically) around a crowded shopping centre, coughing to your lungs’ content. That’s obviously of significant interest to the UK, which has made a similar decision: as of this week, we have our own remaining restrictions. And since Denmark changed its rules, some people have raised alarming concerns that the pandemic is out of control there. Eric Feigl-Ding, an American epidemiologist, was especially stark about it, tweeting: “MY GOD – Danish political leaders have completely lost their frigging minds releasing all #COVID19 mitigations – these are exponentially surging DEATHS not cases!!! This is what happens when a country’s leaders gaslights its own citizens.”