As the world struggles to cope through the clutches of the coronavirus pandemic, people around the world have had to adapt and change their lifestyles. Europe in particular has seen several countries at the frontline of the pandemic, forcing lockdowns and closures in order to attempt to stem the spread of the virus.
Reporting on the current situation for most residents of Denmark, Magnus A Jensen describes what life is like for most people from the city of Odense during this unprecedented time.
I live in a city called Odense, it's the third largest city in Denmark, and we're one of the cities that are under these restrictions. My university classes ended last week (mid-December), but the last week our classes were only online. Due to the rise in cases, the authorities are worried about another spike in cases around Christmas (which will be soon in Denmark), because it's a time where people come together to celebrate, see friends and family and travel around the country.
This year the authorities are urging people to be COVID-conscious and not act too risky, seeing as few people as possible during Christmas. But they can't force people to do it in their private homes, so it will be interesting to see what happens around Christmas time!
Quiet Streets of Odense
So here's the situation now in Denmark. We are seeing a rise in cases of COVID-19 right now, so the government has imposed new restrictions. Therefore many places in Denmark are in a partial lockdown. Children are being sent home from school, many people are working from home, bars, restaurants and cafes are closed (some still have takeout), museums, movie theaters, theaters, libraries and other institutions are also closed. People are required to wear face masks inside stores and public transport and we are recommended to stay at home as much as possible and to not visit groups of people.
My experience in my city is that it's much more quiet now than before. Until a few weeks ago, the restaurants and bars were still allowed to be open, schools were open, so there was a lot more life in the city. Now everything is closed down, which is the safest to do, but it makes the city very quiet!
So it's a very weird feeling. It's also very lonely not to be able to see friends and family that much, but it's how the situation is.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark (in the spring), the situation was almost the same as now. There were the same restrictions (things closed down, work and classes from home etc.), only during the summer the restrictions were a little less strict, as the number of cases was lower, but now we're at a high number of cases again. It's also hard for the local businesses, restaurants and cafes to be closed now, because Christmas time is usually the time when they earn a lot of money!
PCR Test is Free
I've had a PCR test. Luckily it was free! Here in Denmark it's covered by our health insurance which is a part of our welfare state, which means that the health system is payed for by taxes. So therefore it was free for me. Unfortunately there's a lot of people who want to get a test right now, so sometimes you need to wait a long time to get tested, but I've heard they're working on increasing test capacity, so that they can test more people.
I live in the Danish city of Odense, it's Denmark's 3rd largest city with around 180,000 people. In Odense there's many old beautiful houses, churches and other buildings. We have a zoo, a number of museums (art museum, history museum, old village museum and more). There's many different stores, restaurants and bars in the city (street markets for example). The city is also really good for students with SDU (University of Southern Denmark) - one of the country's biggest universities - in the city. There's also a lot of beautiful nature spots in Odense, with a harbor, a river going through the city and numerous forests.
The city of Odense is well known for being the birthplace and place where famous author Hans Christian Andersen grew up in. He wrote a number of fairytales that are known around the world such as The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, The Match Girl and The Emperors New Clothes. In the city you can visit a museum about him, along with seeing the house he was born in and the house he lived in as a child. They're also building a brand new museum for him (which I think opens next year).
Popular Places in Odense During the Pandemic
Here's a statue of famous author Hans Christian Andersen in Odense.
The restaurants and cafes in Odense are closed because of COVID-19. The sign inside this restaurant says that the store is closed until January due to COVID-19.
This sign tells people to walk on the right side and keep their distance from other people.
People are required to wear a mask to pick up take-out food in restaurants.
These are some pictures from the beautiful city of Odense. I've been going on many walks around the city during the lockdown!
Odense Theater
The sign says that all shows are canceled due to COVID-19.
Hans Christian Andersen Museum
This is the house Hans Christian Andersen was born in. It's now closed due to COVID-19.
The Statue of King Frederik the 7th of Denmark
Someone put a face mask on this statue in the King's Gardens in Odense. The statue is of King Frederik the 7th of Denmark.
The Pedestrian Shopping Streets in Odense
These red lines go all the way through the pedestrian shopping streets of Odense. They're supposed to remind shoppers to walk on the right-hand side of the street.
The main shopping streets at night. Normally these streets would be full of people on a Friday night going out to restaurants and bars to celebrate, but they're empty now because of COVID-19.
Reporter: Magnus A Jensen
Magnus A Jensen is currently studying German at university in Odense.
Find him on Instagram here:@magn8863
To see more information about the city of Odense click here: https://www.visitodense.com/tourist/welcome-Odense