(Bloomberg) -- Denmark and Norway are closing schools while large gatherings have been banned across the Nordic region and swathes of workers sent home, as the number of people contaminated by the coronavirus exceeds 1,800.“We’re in uncharted territory here,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at an emergency press briefing convened late on Wednesday. “We’ve never tried anything like this before.”Scandinavian governments are imposing emergency measures to isolate citizens in a frantic effort to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. Danes have been told to stop shaking hands and hugging when they greet, and everyone who can work from home is being urged to do so.The decrees came not long after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak to be a pandemic, and told governments to step up their efforts to fight the contagion.“All private-sector employers are encouraged to ensure that as many employees as possible are able to work from home,” Frederiksen said. All state-sector employees are being forced to stay home, though emergency personnel will continue to perform their duties, she said.Virus Fallout -Norwegian Air Plunges 27% After U.S. Europe Travel CurbsDenmark Is at Risk of Recession Due to Virus, Danske Bank SaysIceland Delivers Emergency Stimulus to Fight Virus FalloutRichest Nordic Economy Now Faces First Recession Since 2008Danske Tells Investors to Stay Away as Virus Panic Hits AGMStatistics Norway Cancels Publication of Economic Outlook ReportTo help companies cope with the fallout of the virus, Denmark has agreed to about $20 billion in tax breaks. In
Sweden, the government of Prime Minister Stefan Lofven is exploring an increasing palette of stimulus measures to shield exporters from any damage the virus causes to trade.The government of Finland, where the official virus count stands at 109, is considering closing schools, daycare centers, universities and shopping malls, as well as ferry and air traffic.In Norway, authorities have said they expect a “relatively sharp increase” in the number of cases, while there are reports of paracetamol being rationed.“We expect more hospitalization in the days and weeks ahead, and also gradually a higher number of intensive-care patients,” the Norwegian Institute of Public Health’s Director General Camilla Stoltenberg said at a press conference. “We must also expect deaths in the time ahead.”\--With assistance from Mikael Holter, Veronica Ek, Charles Daly and Kati Pohjanpalo.To contact the reporter on this story: Morten Buttler in Copenhagen at mbuttler@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tasneem Hanfi Brögger at tbrogger@bloomberg.net;Christian Wienberg at cwienberg@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.