When Denmark began to relax its lockdown restrictions, it opened its borders up for a certain number of people with “worthy purposes” – those who work in the country or must deliver goods here – and close family members, meaning spouses, partners, parents and children of someone who lives in Denmark. On Thursday, the government announced that it will expand entry permission on June 15 to include residents of Germany, Norway and Iceland who have a romantic relationship with or are grandparents of someone living in Denmark as well as to people who rent a summer house here. 

The limitations were a great disappointment to many others who weren’t in that category, perhaps most of all to fiancés and fiancées of Danes in countries other than the chosen three. Some of these couples had planned to hold their weddings this summer, and now one of the partners is stranded (DK) in his or her home country because of what they feel is an arbitrary and pointless distinction. They say it is discrimination. They have complained to the government and founded a Facebook group: “Lovers Separated by the Border Closing during Coronavirus.”

Marriage postponed indefinitely

Ninna Nielsen, from Odense, and Timmie Mathews, from Virginia, for example, have been a couple for eight years and were planning to be married in Denmark in September. Now their plans are ruined. Timmie was in the US on March 14, when Denmark closed its borders, and has been locked out since. They don’t know when they will see each other again except in their daily Skype calls. They had been hoping for good news on Thursday, with the loosening of restrictions, but the government’s tentative next step after this one will be to open the borders after the summer for tourists from other EU member states and the UK.

“I don’t understand why they should discriminate according to what country your boyfriend happens to come from,” says Ninna. “Especially when at the same time the borders are open for spouses from anywhere in the world.”

Separated by a formality

“What I don’t understand is why there is a difference between spouses and lovers,” says Sanne Jacobsen, whose boyfriend has been stuck in New Hampshire since February. “There are of course many Danes who live together for years without getting married.”

There are 546 members of the Facebook group. They have written to members of Parliament, arguing that they do not pose a significant risk of starting a chain of infections, and they have received many sympathetic responses, even from members of the ruling Social Democratic Party, which has set the policy. But their pleas to the government have been refused. Besides making it impossible for them to plan their lives, many say they are suffering emotional stress and anxiety.

No exceptions to the precautionary principle 

When Jeppe Bruus, the Social Democrats’ spokesperson for legal matters, was asked why lovers from countries besides Germany, Norway and Iceland may not join their partners in Denmark, he replied that the policy is to reopen the borders in a controlled manner in order to minimize the risk of a new outbreak, in accordance with the precautionary principle that the government has followed throughout the crisis, noting that South Korea has recently had to reimplement a lockdown. The three countries Denmark is opening up to this month “are close to us and at a similar stage in their management of the pandemic.” 

Bruus couldn’t offer any promises or hopes to the frustrated couples. Sanne Jakobsen says that Iceland might open its borders for everyone soon, and she and her partner would consider meeting and getting married there so that he would become eligible to enter Denmark.