Casinos and gaming arcades in Denmark will remain closed until 31 January 2022 to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The Nordic country’s Minister for Health Magnus Heunicke made the announcement during a press conference, which was followed by an update from the Danish Gambling Authority (DGA).

In a statement on its website, the DGA said: “It is the person in charge of the day-to-day operation of the games room or casino who is responsible for the closure.

“No sight of slot machines should be reported to the Gambling Authority during the closing period.”

The Danish regulator did acknowledge that this will negatively impact operators, saying it will take into account the “involuntary closure period” when inspecting gaming machines.

This comes amid a new wave of infections that has hit Denmark in recent months. Since December 2021, cases have risen sharply, caused in no small part by the Omicron variant.

As a new year dawned, Denmark saw Covid cases surge past 20,000 a day, and currently has the third highest number of confirmed Omicron cases in the world, behind only the UK and US.

As Heunicke announced the continued closure of casinos and gaming arcades, the Danish Health Minister mooted a fourth jab for Denmark’s most at-risk citizens.

He said: “The more widespread the infection is in society, the greater the risk that the infection will reach our most vulnerable.

“We are now embarking on a new chapter, namely a decision to offer the fourth jab to the most vulnerable citizens.”