Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel has asked the population to stay at home "whenever possible" as the country's disease control body announced yet another record increase in the number of new coronavirus infections.
"We have to do everything we can now to ensure that the virus does not spread uncontrollably - every day counts," Merkel said in her weekly podcast published on Saturday.
"I ask you to refrain from any trip that is not really necessary, any celebration that is not really necessary. Please stay at home - wherever you are, whenever possible," she said.
Germany is in a "very serious phase" of the pandemic, Merkel said, adding that "the number of new infections is increasing by leaps and bounds every day."
"The comparatively relaxed summer is over; now we are facing difficult months. How winter will be, how our Christmas will be, will be decided in the coming days and weeks. We all decide that through our actions."
The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, went into quarantine on Saturday after one of his bodyguards tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a presidential office spokeswoman.
Germany recorded 7,830 coronavirus infections in the last 24-hour period, marking a new record as the highest daily figure since the pandemic began, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
Australian Associated Press
