I'm wondering what they are going to make of me when I return two weeks later by train from Sweden with a Swedish passport and a UK vaccination certificate (especially if, as seems possible, they've red-listed the entire UK by then).

If Denmark is still then open to travel from Sweden, you should be fine to get into Denmark. The bigger concern perhaps should be what a potential red-listing may mean for flight availability/cancellations, but I suspect that from CPH to LHR there will remain route options — direct or otherwise — despite whatever could happen in a few weeks times with COVID-19.

Since Denmark started accepting US CDC cards earlier this month, I have come across no show stoppers for CDC card acceptance to cross from Sweden to Denmark using US CDC vaccination cards and US passports when going by surface transport means. It should be just as easy or easier for you with a Swedish passport.

I’ve had zero problems with Denmark accepting my US CDC vaccination card to enter Denmark without tests. And that’s on US passports for me.

Even when Denmark had most foreign visitor travel from Sweden banned, having proof of CPH-US flights was sufficient to get me into Denmark from Sweden — sometimes without a test requirement applicable, and sometimes with a test requirement applicable. And often when getting off the Malmö-CPH train at CPH (airport), no one in Denmark even asked me for anything to disembark the train at CPH and be in Denmark wandering the airport.

Meanwhile, I’m staying at a classic hotel on the west coast, and there is not a trace of checking for vaccination passport, vaccine record or any test, nor is there any sign of plastic gloves used at the morning buffet. I imagine the Germans staying at the summer houses might have something to do with it. It feels so, well, normal.

But would that still be the case if either Sweden or the US were to be red-listed?

You could always avoid that risk by flying from ARN and taking the train or a domestic flight from MMX.

It was the case even when most “non-essential” visits from visitors from Sweden and/or the US were prohibited by Denmark. Even during much worse periods during the pandemic.

Not generally worth the hassle to deal with MMX, given it wasn’t even necessary as long as a flight out of CPH was there and at least as or more convenient schedule wise than MMX when heading to documented country of citizenship and/or country of residence.

I noticed that when boarding a bus, the mask wearing was very compliant in the western part of the country, even by younger people in the smaller towns, and less so as you cross the country eastbound, and not just because there was more of a heatwave closer to Copenhagen, where additionally an unfortunate and not entirely unexpected pattern of ethnic minorities proportionally skipping the mask is present. And occasionally youngsters too and a few others. Enforcement of the rules is not fully absent though; one day I witnessed a female train conductor reminding a young man waiting to get off the train to put his mask on.

Honestly, it feels a bit silly. I prefer to stand on buses and trains (on short routes of course) precisely because I like to keep distance (irrespective of covid). This rule essentially forces me to sit down - get closer to people - to be able to take my mask off. Doesn't seem very logical to me, to be honest. Especially since we know that the virus mostly spreads by close contacts, not by passing by someone - the risk exists precisely when I am seated (with the same people for several minutes or even hours). When I walk "down the aisle", the risk is negligible.
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Viral build-up in the air in indoor environments — including inside moving vehicles with questionable fresh air circulation — has consequences. And relatively greater exertion from standing/moving on legs than from sitting also means more virus coming out and circulating further from a standing/walking/running infected traveler than a sitting traveler. And thus the mask rules for that reason aren’t senseless. And when there aren’t any seats available on which to sit, passengers are more likely to be standing up in more crowded vehicles than at times when seats are available.

I know. It’s not easy. I was in the metro this morning, and four girls ~16-18 years were standing and talking. But they live here and they know that only <12 years are exempt from wearing a mask when not sitting.

The coronapas age cutoff for sitting down at a restaurant or café is <15 years. Somehow your American CDC card often appears to work, although no policy says so.

I think the dilemma is that the very people who don’t wear a mask are the ones that aren’t vaccinated.

I spoke with a friend whose husband is a doctor, and there are plans to make eligible the younger half of the ones still not eligible, something like 12-25 vs 26-39 years, as the younger are more socially active.

I have had no problems using my CDC card in Denmark, and I’m not sure why. Maybe just the relatively more easy-going Danish approach and just the higher trust factor.

It’s quite amazing how mask use in Danish public transit is pretty high — higher than required. Since people don’t know if there will always be a seat available, I guess they mostly make a habit of having masks along for use anyway. On the streets, masks are more or less invisible. At least that’s how it has been looking around Kongens Nytorv again today.

Given all the student/graduation partying going on, the Danish vaccine strategy for aiming at the younger demographic segment makes sense to me.

Yes. There appears to be a reliance on a tradition of accepting any personal document as long as you also show an official ID. When in Tivoli yesterday, we went inside its Service Center just past the entrance and had an interesting discussion with the two young women there, unravelling layers of how it could be that a foreign vaccination card would be accepted when there is no such policy. It seems the tradition is based on the proven strategy of people unwilling to a present a falsified document connected to a personal ID, a deterrent generally perceived to be so effective that written regulations for a given situation, when too much work to uphold, are believed to be unnecessary.

Today, just hours before the rules on entering are to relax even further, Danish police upped the border control at CPH for train-arriving passengers at the airport and were asking select people for ID/passports and proof of vaccination or test results in order to enter the airport; and that is even as there was no checking of passengers who remained on the trains coming into CPH from Sweden.

I think they seemed to select mainly people who got off the Swedish-originating trains at CPH without masks on, but not sure what their criteria was other than it could probably be another situation where holding back until they are busy means a pass.

The police seemed happy they would be done for the day before the 6pm game and could change into the red and white attire for the day to cheer on the national team.

Makes a lot of sense. Check passengers who are most likely leaving Denmark and ignore those who are most likely staying in 😂

The amusing thing was that it was the Danish police telling the arriving passengers on the platform that they could just stay in/on the train to go into town (and consequently avoid this test/vaccination check done by the police). And that was told to some passengers whom had reasons to take the Metro from the airport rather than to stick to the Oresundstag train to get further into Denmark.

Today I took a ride on Kystbanen, the coastal train running north of Copenhagen up to Helsingør, later called Øresundstoget once the bridge to Malmø had been built.

It turns out you need pladsbilletter, seat reservations, for the train. So how do you go about it using Rejsekortet, the card using an electronic ticketing system for travelling by bus, train and metro?

You use the app for DSB, the Danish train company, of course! Reserving a seat by itself for free is a familiar thing for Intercity and express trains, but no one on Kystbanen had a clue.

The train conductor was visibly frustrated by the time she got around to my Rejsekort. She couldn’t understand it because, as she claimed, the signs were everywhere in the trains and on the platforms.

I happened to have the DSB app configured and ready and got the seat tickets starting at the nearest station. No wagon or seat numbers, likely just to make sure everyone is sitting down.