Denmark and Norway create travel bubble, excluding Sweden

Norway and Denmark said on Friday they would allow tourists to travel between the two countries, though border crossings with Sweden, where the number of Covid-19 infections is higher, will remain restricted.

During news conferences taking place simultaneously, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said most restrictions would end on June 15.

"We can't open too suddenly, that would jeopardise everything we've accomplished," Norway's Solberg told a news conference.

Denmark will also welcome tourists from Germany and Iceland. All foreign visitors will need to book at least six nights accommodation before arriving and they will not be allowed to stay in the capital Copenhagen, where most of the country's Covid-19 cases are.

Tourists from Sweden will still not be able to visit, with Denmark's Frederiksen telling journalists that the two countries were in different places when it came to the coronavirus.

More than 4,000 Swedes have died from Covid-19, nearly four times the combined total of the other Nordic countries.

On Tuesday, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde warned that excluding Sweden from moves to open borders across the Nordic region as it recovers from the coronavirus pandemic would be a political decision and not justifiable on health grounds.

Finland not joining

Finland is not yet joining the agreement with its neighbours. Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto discussed on Friday the issue with his Norwegian colleague, but no final decision has yet been made.

"Both countries want to maintain control over Covid and minimize the harm caused by the pandemic restrictions for citizens. The discussion continues," Haavisto wrote in his Twitter account.