Germany posts record daily increase in coronavirus cases

 

Germany has posted a record daily increase in confirmed coronavirus cases, adding 6,638 cases and bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 341,223, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed.

Germany's previous record daily increase was 6,294 on March 28, according to RKI data.

Thursday's tally showed the reported death toll rose by 33 to 9,710.

By European standards, Germany has experienced relatively low infection and death rates so far during the pandemic, but new daily cases have jumped in recent weeks and Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned there could be 19,200 infections per day if current trends continue.

Merkel and the governors of Germany’s 16 states agreed to tighten mask-wearing rules and make bars close early in areas where virus infection rates are high, an attempt to avoid tougher restrictions now being introduced elsewhere in Europe.

So far, German authorities have called for districts to take action when they report 50 new infections per 100,000 residents over seven days. Many major cities have exceeded that mark recently, including Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich.

Officials recommended that mask-wearing, already required since April on public transport and in shops, should also be made obligatory in public places where people are packed closely together when infections hit 35 per 100,000.

They also called for bars and restaurants in those districts to be closed early.

In areas where infections top 50 infections per 100,000 people, gatherings in public and private parties should be limited to 10 people, and bars and restaurants closed at 11 pm