I received a copy of a message sent out by Bailli Délégué Jørgen Krenk to the members of his Bailliage of Denmark.

Given the challenging and uncertain times through which we are currently living as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, I felt the general sentiments expressed were worthy of a wider audience. Accordingly, with Jørgen’s approval, here they are.

Marie Jones
Managing Editor

Copenhagen, March 16, 2020

Dear All

Our thoughts go these days and weeks to all our friends and members of the restaurant industry who have just suddenly been hit by hard times. At an unprecedented pace, Denmark has gone from being a well-functioning and busy society with heat under the pots to a shut-down of all social activities - by law, through strong recommendations from the government, or by establishments and enterprises acting responsibly towards their clients and members of staff.
 
At the time of writing (March 16th) it is still legal for cafés and restaurants to stay open. If you look at other countries in Europe they have gone even further with nationwide lockdowns, curfews and actual closures. It is still unclear how it will play out with us. Many places have already chosen to close temporarily and some have successfully turned their attention towards providing a home delivery service.
 
During this difficult time I would encourage you all to make every effort to support our restaurants during this time. I believe this can be done in several ways:
- Order a take-away from the small local restaurants … if it is not advertised why not ask if it is possible.
- Go to the restaurants' websites and buy gift certificates.
- Book tables for the future … weeks, months ahead - so you demonstrate that you are confident there are brighter times ahead.
- Visit TripAdvisor or suchlike sites and review the places where you had a great experience.
 
Let us hope that we will all get through this situation somewhat unscathed.

Jørgen Krenk
Bailli Délégué