(ANSA-AFP) - BERLIN, 18 AGO - Chancellor Angela Merkel warned
on Tuesday there could be no further relaxation of coronavirus
restrictions while Germany grapples with a surge in new
infections. She urged Germans to follow the rules on hygiene
precautions and reminded travellers returning from risk areas
that quarantine was not an option "but a must" so long as they
could not show a negative test. "We are seeing that an increase
in mobility and closer contacts are leading to a higher number
of cases," Merkel told a press conference in Duesseldorf. "I
believe there can be no further loosening (of restrictions) at
this point," she said in her first public comments on the
pandemic since returning from her summer break. Germany was seen
as an early success story in suppressing the virus but its
progress has been undermined in recent weeks as numbers have
crept up over the summer holidays. Much of the rise has been
blamed on returning holidaymakers as well as parties and family
gatherings. Germany has in recent weeks reported an average of
well over 1,000 new cases a day, compared with around 350 in
early June. "This is a trend that cannot continue and must be
halted," Merkel told reporters. (ANSA-AFP).
© Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved