The university won’t open before 10 May at the earliest. But there’s good news for at least some of the researchers who’ve been keeping an impatient eye on their calendars, willing time to pass quickly. 

Last week, the government and the Danish parliament agreed to start gradually reopening society, and this applies to research labs.

The press release from the Prime Minister's Office states:

“A partial reopening of research laboratories for researchers and students will be carried out, in order to make it possible to continue and complete postdoc or PhD projects as well as continue work on experiments and research projects that would otherwise be lost.”

READ MORE: 400 researchers can return to their labs

On Twitter, Minister for Higher Education and Science Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen welcomed the news:

“Thank you to a united parliament for taking responsibility to partially reopen Denmark. Opening research labs to researchers and students is part of the agreement, so we save research and experiments that would otherwise be lost.”

Camilla Gregersen, chair of the Danish Association of Masters and PhDs, also took to Twitter to express her appreciation for the partial reopening, and took the occasion to encourage politicians to reopen libraries and archives soon, as well as partially resuming face-to-face classes at the universities.

The logistics of the reopening will be hammered out between the institutions affected and the authorities.

Parliament has since continued negotiations on the next phases of the reopening of the country.

Translated by Lenore Messick