Copenhagen (AFP)

Denmark on Thursday announced specific restrictions for more than 280,000 residents in the northwest of the country, to prevent further human cases of a coronavirus mutation from mink, which Copenhagen says could threaten the effectiveness of 'a future human vaccine.

"From this evening, the citizens of seven municipalities in North Jutland are urged to stay in their own municipality to prevent the spread of the infection," Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at a press conference.

Danes and foreigners are ordered not to go to the area where restaurants and bars will be closed from Saturday.

"We ask you in the north of Jutland to do something completely extraordinary", said the head of government who speaks of a "real closure" of this region.

"The eyes of the world are on us," said Frederiksen.

The municipalities concerned (Laesø, Frederikshavn, Hjørring, Brønderslev, Jammerbugt, Thisted and Vesthimmerland) are all located at the northern tip of Jutland, in western Denmark.

They bring together 280,000 inhabitants.

Public transport will be closed in the seven municipalities concerned.

Trains and buses entering and leaving municipalities are stopped.

Pupils in grades 5 to 8 (equivalent of CM2 to 4th in the French system) will follow their online education from Monday.

Denmark, the world's largest exporter of mink skins, aroused concern on Wednesday by announcing the mass slaughter of all mink in the kingdom - more than 15 million heads - following the discovery of this mutation transmissible to the man, which has already been detected in 12 people, including 11 cases in this region and one in another.

Mutation of a virus is normal, scientists say, and determining the concrete consequences of a mutation is complex.

Experts called on the Danish authorities on Wednesday evening to communicate the scientific details of this mutation.

According to the explanations of the Danish authorities, it does not result in more serious effects in humans.

But it implies a lower efficiency of human antibodies, which threatens the development of a vaccine against Covid-19, the subject of a race against time across the world in the face of the devastating effects of the pandemic.

© 2020 AFP