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Space issue in institutions forces Copenhagen to look outside the box

Roselyne Min
April 15th, 2020


This article is more than 4 years old.

Parents willing and able to keep their kids at home can have their institution fees refunded

A return could be imminent (Photo: Pxfuel)

As part of Denmark’s first phase in reopening the country from the lockdown caused by the coronavirus, 124 daycare facilities opened today in Copenhagen, with another 113 scheduled to follow suit tomorrow.

But according to Copenhagen Municipality, it there isn’t enough space for all of the children if institutions are to adhere to new government guidelines – particularly in regards to space-per-child restrictions, which are now twice as high as usual.

In response, Copenhagen has announced that parents continuing to keep their children at home can have the monthly institution fee compensated .

READ ALSO: Denmark to expand gradual reopening of country

Children > space 
Parents have previously been asked to report whether they are willing to keep their children home from institutions.

Preliminary figures show that overall needs are only slightly greater than capacity, but they are not evenly distributed.

The municipality is working on finding more space to accommodate children in small groups, as per government guidelines.

According to the municipality, certain facilities at the old Copenhagen City Museum and in Carlsbergbyen could be used for the kids.


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”