The Danish Health Authority has listed who is at increased risk of a severe course of COVID-19, including older people and residents in nursing homes, but also people who are overweight and have certain diseases such as severe heart failure and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The list also includes a number of diseases or conditions weakening the immune system. Based on a precautionary principle, pregnant women are also considered to be at higher risk.
Employees at higher risk should not carry out tasks or functions at work involving care, treatment or close contact with a person or patient where there is a suspicion of COVID-19 based on typical and characteristic symptoms, or where COVID-19 has been confirmed. In such cases, the employee at higher risk should be reassigned to another task or function. Any limitations on possibilities to reassign the employee should be resolved locally, and must not obstruct the employee from being reassigned.
According to the Danish Health Authority, a few other people will also be at higher risk who, on the basis of a specific individual assessment by their doctor, should not go to work at all. For more information, see Good advice for you who are at higher risk.
Staff who live with a person at higher risk
Staff who live with a person at higher risk, e.g. a partner or child, will be treated in the same way as staff who are at higher risk themselves, see above.
Clarification from the Capital Region of Denmark:
This is a regional clarification of "Managing of Covid-19: Recommendations for people at higher risk" dated 12 May 2020 and it is based on the definition in the guidelines concerning "persons at higher risk".
The clarification is with respect to page 9 about people who are employed in the healthcare, social and elderly sector, and who live with a person at higher risk (this will also apply, however, for employees who are themselves at higher risk):
Employees who live with people at higher risk, for example a partner or a child, should
not in connection with their employment:
Work at a test centre, irrespective of whether the job entails assessing people with symptoms and referred to a test, or testing asymptomatic people; and irrespective of whether they are employed in the health path at hospitals or in the society path.
Work with patients in isolation, irrespective of whether these have been confirmed as Covid-19 positive or are awaiting test results. This means that you can work in close contact with patients who are awaiting test results, but who are not in isolation while they are waiting. For example, this could be patients who are routinely tested in connection with hospital admission, or people who come for elective or outpatient treatment. This also means that the relevant employees can work with patients in isolation for other reasons than Covid-19 or suspicion of Covid-19.
Work with the reception and assessment of patients who have been referred to hospital admission or examination, and who arrive with typical and characteristic symptoms of Covid-19, or who have been referred as "obs COVID-19". If a patient – without a prior "obs COVID-19" note – arrives at an emergency admissions department, a department or an outpatient department with typical and characteristic symptoms of Covid-19, the employee should ask others to take over the reception and assessment of the patient.
Therefore, the employee may work in a department or a section with Covid-19 patients or "obs COVID-19" patients, provided the above is observed.
Employees with tasks involving patient transport, for example porters, should not transport confirmed Covid-19 patients or "obs COVID-19" patients who are awaiting test results, and who are in isolation, if the employees live with a person at higher risk, see above. Cleaning staff who live with people at higher risk, see above, should not clean rooms after Covid-19 isolation patients. Both groups can otherwise perform their duties as usual.
It is assumed that, in all work with patients, there is a situation in which employees can easily use the relevant personal protective equipment.
Employees are responsible for informing their immediate manager if they are living with people at higher risk.
Reporting absent for staff at higher risk and staff with relatives at higher risk
If it is not possible to organise the workplace or change other employees' tasks such that work can be performed in accordance with recommendations from the Danish Health Authority for individuals who are at higher risk of a serious illness after infection with Covid-19, an option may be for the employee to report absent. This applies for staff at higher risk themselves, and staff with relatives at higher risk.
During the period of absence, employees will be entitled to full pay, provided that the Capital Region of Denmark has reimbursement access. This applies currently until march 31st 2021.
According to the Danish Sickness Benefits Act, a number of conditions have to be met:
The employee's doctor has to provide a medical assessment of whether the employee has a higher risk of Covid-19 infection. If the employee is a relative to a person at higher risk, the relative's doctor should document that the relative is at higher risk.
The employer should declare that it is not possible to organise the workplace or change tasks such that work can be performed in accordance with recommendations from the Danish Health Authority for individuals who are at higher risk of a serious illness after infection with Covid-19. On this basis, the employer will then relieve the employee completely from work duties.
The employee also has to meet the conditions for entitlement to sickness benefits, including the requirement for number of working hours with respect to the municipality.
Link to employer's declaration on relief from work duties:
Employer declaration
Pregnant women from week 28
Applying an extended prudence principle with focus on the unborn child, employees with work functions with close contact with patients, citizens or children, e.g. treatment or care tasks, must be reassigned to other tasks with no contact with citizens from week 28 of their pregnancy. If it is not possible to reassign the employee to other tasks with no contact with citizens, e.g. telephone consultations or similar, and working from home is not possible in the function or with regard to the tasks for which the pregnant employee is responsible, the pregnant employee should report absent for pregnancy.
FAQ about symptoms, test, children and close contact.
1. What are the symptoms of Covid-19, and what should I do if I have these symptoms?
According to the Danish Health Authority, the typical symptoms of Covid-19 are similar to the symptoms you know from influenza and other infections in the upper respiratory tract. You feel unwell and you may have a dry cough, fever, breathing difficulties, muscle pain or a sore throat. Some people may also experience other symptoms such as headache, nausea, diarrhoea and loss of taste and smell. Symptoms and severity vary from person to person.
If you have any symptoms, you must:
Self-isolate
Pay special attention to hygiene
Pay special attention to cleaning
Call your general practitioner who will assess your symptoms and perhaps refer you for a test, or contact your manager to arrange a test.
Wear a face mask if you have to leave self-isolation for a short period, for example to be tested.
Read more about what to do if you fall ill on the Danish Health Authority website.
2. How can I get tested for coronavirus?
If you have symptoms:
Employees in the healthcare sector, and employees who work with vulnerable groups in the social sector, can be tested for coronavirus by agreement with their manager.
If your job is linked to a hospital, you can find more information about how to arrange an appointment on the hospital intranet and website. See also the Capital Region of Denmark website on corona tests for staff.
If you have no symptoms:
If you have no symptoms and want to be tested for coronavirus, book an appointment on coronaprover.dk.
Go to coronaprover.dk and follow the guidelines to arrange your appointment.
3. When can I go back to work after having had symptoms of Covid-19, but a negative test result?
You can return to work immediately after you have received your negative test result and when you are free of symptoms.
See the guidelines from the Danish Health Authority: Guidelines for managing Covid-19 in the health service - 21.10.20
4. When can I go back to work after having received a positive test result?
You can return to work once you have been free of symptoms for at least 48 hours. If you have no symptoms, you can return to work 7 days after your positive test result.
See the guidelines from the Danish Health Authority: Guidelines for managing Covid-19 in the health service - 21.10.20
5. What should I do if my child has symptoms of Covid-19?
Contact your general practitioner (or call 1813) who will assess whether your child needs to be tested.
Your child is considered ill, and you can therefore take your child's first and second day of sickness, if possible. If your child is ill for longer than two sick days, you should contact your manager to arrange to work from home, take time off in lieu of pay, take care days or take holiday. If you have used all your days off from work, and working from home is not an option, you can talk to your manager about taking time off without pay.
You do not have to self-isolate as long as your child has not tested positive, and you can return to work.
See more in this folder A4 flyer to parents whose child has been tested for coronavirus.
See the Danish Health Authority Information for parents in the event of symtoms that may be COVID-19, infection with coronavirus in daycare facilities, schools and other facilities for children and young people
6. What should I do if my child has been in close contact with a person infected with coronavirus?
Contact your general practitioner (or call 1813) to be referred for a test.
Your child must home isolate. In the period in which your child is in home isolation, but is not ill, you cannot take your child's first and second day of sickness. If possible, you can arrange with your manager to work from home, take care days, time off in lieu of pay or holiday. If you have used all your days off from work, and working from home is not an option, you can talk to your manager about taking time off without pay.
You do not have to home-isolate as long as your child has not tested positive for coronavirus, and you can return to work.
See the Danish Health Authority Information for parents in the event of symtoms that may be COVID-19, infection with coronavirus in daycare facilities, schools and other facilities for children and young people
7. Can I go to work if someone in my household has tested positive for coronavirus?
No, you must self-isolate and be tested as soon as possible. See the Danish Health Authority's information material for close contacts to a person who has tested positive for coronavirus.
When you are in self-isolation – and as long as you do not have any symptoms – you will be registered as taking time off with pay.
See also Guidelines from the Danish Health Authority on tracing infection of people you have been in contact with8. Can I go to work if someone in my household has symptoms of Covid-19?
Yes, you can go to work as long as this person has not tested positive for coronavirus.
9. Can I go to work if I have spent time with someone who is infected with coronavirus or has symptoms of Covid-19?
If the person you have spent time with has not tested positive for coronavirus, you can go to work.
If the person you have spent time with has tested positive for coronavirus, and you have been in close contact with this person, you should get tested. You must self-isolate and cannot go to work. See the Danish Health Authority's information material for close contacts to a person who has tested positive for coronavirus.
When you are in self-isolation – and as long as you do not have any symptoms – you will be registered as taking time off with pay.