Denmark ditches vaccine passports in nightclubs on Friday, erasing its last COVID-19 restriction, with no masks in sight, booming offices, and tens of thousands attending concerts.

Vaccine passports were first issued in March 2021, as Copenhagen began to relax its regulations.

They were phased out in all places on Sept. 1, except nightclubs, where they will be phased out on Friday.

"We are definitely at the forefront in Denmark as we have no restrictions, and we are now on the other side of the pandemic thanks to the vaccination rollout," Ulrik Orum-Petersen, a promoter at event organizer Live Nation, told AFP.

On Saturday, 50,000 people will attend a sold-out performance in Copenhagen, a first in Europe.

On September 4, Live Nation held its inaugural open-air festival in Copenhagen, aptly named "Back to Live," which drew 15,000 people.

"Being in the crowd, singing like before, it almost made me forget COVID and everything we've been through these past months," Emilie Bendix, 26, a concertgoer, said.

Denmark's vaccination program has gone well, with 73 percent of the 5.8 million people fully vaccinated, including 96 percent of those aged 65 and up.

'We want to be able to move freely.'

"We want to be able to go about freely... What will now happen is that the virus will spread and find others who have not been vaccinated, "Lone Simonsen, an epidemiologist, told AFP.

"Now the virus is no longer a societal threat, thanks to the vaccine," said Simonsen, who works at the University of Roskilde.

According to the World Health Organization, public cooperation with government standards and the COVID-19 strategy has benefited the Scandinavian country.

"Denmark, like many other nations, has implemented public health and societal efforts to prevent transmission throughout the pandemic. However, it has depended heavily on individuals and communities to comply voluntarily, "Catherine Smallwood, WHO Europe's emergency officer, expressed her concern.

Danish officials claim to have COVID-19 under control, with roughly 500 cases per day and a reproduction rate of 0.7.

However, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke has stated that the government will not hesitate to reimpose restrictions if necessary.

Authorities believe that the return to normalcy must be accompanied by strong cleanliness measures and sick people's seclusion.

The WHO continues to view the situation in the world to be critical and has advised prudence.

"Every country needs to remain vigilant as and when the epidemiological situation changes," Smallwood added.

Denmark has said it will keep a tight eye on the number of hospitalizations, which is currently a little under 130, and conduct careful virus sequencing.

Since Thursday, risk groups have had access to a third dose.

"but if escape variants (resistant to the vaccine) were to appear, we will have to rethink our strategy," Simonsen added, adding that the vaccines had so far offered immunity from mutations.

While everyone is relieved to get back to normal, Christian Nedergaard, who runs many restaurants and wine bars in Copenhagen, noted that "the situation is still complicated."

"The memory of coronavirus will fade quickly from some people's minds, but not for everyone," he said, adding that "for restaurants, this period has undoubtedly been a game-changer."

"The industry needs to think about how to become more resilient." says the expert.

Vaccine passports or a negative PCR test are still required to enter Denmark, and masks are required in airports.