Denmark extends coronavirus restrictions until Oct 18

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark on Friday extended its current restrictions aimed at curbing a spike in new coronavirus infections by two weeks until Oct. 18, health minister Magnus Heunicke told a news conference.

"A rise in new infections was expected, but it has come earlier than we had anticipated," Heunicke said.

The current limit on public gatherings of no more than 50 people would also apply to privately held events as of Sept. 26.

Denmark has registered 678 new infections in the last 24 hours, the highest daily number yet although only around 1% of the number of people tested in the period.

(Reporting by Nikolaj Skydsgaard and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Hugh Lawson)