Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has issued a public apology after she was caught in a clothing shop in central Copenhagen without wearing a face mask.
In a subsequent post on Facebook, which arrived after the newspaper Ekstra Bladet published a video of her trying on clothes without a mask, Frederiksen admitted that she had failed to heed the new restrictions that came into force on Monday, calling it a simple oversight.
"I forgot to wear a face mask when I was in a shop in central Copenhagen", she wrote. "It was simply an oversight after the new rules were introduced, and I only became aware of it after a citizen filmed it. I know this can happen to all of us. Just preferably not to me", Frederiksen added. "I'm sorry, of course, and once again want to thank everyone for everything we all do to keep the infection down".
Due to a higher rate of infection, a set of restrictions were introduced in Denmark, including a mask mandate. Under the new restrictions, those failing to wear a mask may face a fine of up to DKK 2,500 ($380).
This is not the first time a senior figure in Denmark's fight against the pandemic has been caught not following restrictions. In late 2020, none other than Director of the Danish Health Agency Søren Brostrøm was photographed working on a train without a face mask.
The mask incident will undoubtedly put more pressure on the embattled prime minister, who faces a parliamentary committee investigating her decision to cull all of the nation's 15 million farmed mink last year over fears of a mutated COVID strain.
As the order was found to lack any legal basis, the Danish Parliament retroactively passed an emergency law banning mink farming, devastating a lucrative industry. Before the cull, followed by a mink ban, Denmark had been the world's largest exporter of mink skins coveted for their delicate fur, and the second-largest producer, trailing only China.
The so-called "Minkgate", which features deleted phone messages and has been described by the press as an elaborate blame game, has already led to a minister's resignation, and the committee is now investigating whether Frederiksen knew there was no law allowing her to impose the measure.
Meanwhile, numerous high-ranking politicians, ranging from former Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven to US President Joe Biden have been slammed for lapses in their mask protocols.