Denmark closes borders as confirmed coronavirus cases total 801

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced on Friday that the Nordic country would be closing its borders as 801 people have been confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus across the country.

"Eight hundred and one are infected with the coronavirus, 23 are hospitalized, 4 are intensive and 2 are in critical condition," said Frederiksen during a press conference, announcing that as of noon on Saturday, Danish borders would be closed until April 13.

"Travel in and out increases the risk of infection," said Frederiksen, noting that any non-resident would be unable to enter Denmark without a valid reason, such as living or working in Denmark.

All passenger traffic to and from Denmark will be stopped.

The prime minister reiterated the close coordination between European Union (EU) countries, even though Denmark had decided to close its borders to the outside world.

"When we look at the EU today, we can see that the novel coronavirus has gotten really bad. We are among the region's most affected. All the countries are pursuing different strategies. There is close coordination and we had a meeting of the European Council," said Frederiksen.

Hospitals in Denmark have been asked to close down all essential tasks and postpone all non-critical surgeries to prepare for the coming influx of patients with COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths from the novel coronavirus in the Netherlands rose from five to ten in one day, while the number of people who tested positive for the virus increased by 190 to 804 on Friday.

The new numbers were made public by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). On March 9, the number of infected people was 321 and the first positive test for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Netherlands came in on Feb. 27.

On Thursday, the Dutch government announced stricter measures to curb the spread of the virus by ordering the cancelation of events of 100 people or more until April 1. Accordingly, all soccer matches in the country have been called off and the Rotterdam Marathon is also postponed.

On Friday, the biggest theme park of the Netherlands, Efteling, decided to close its doors until March 31. Primary and secondary schools remain open until further notice, while universities are closed and switch to online lectures.

The Dutch government has called on people to work from home as much as possible.