Customers of a cafe installed in a greenhouse to protect themselves from the coronavirus, in Berlin, October 20, 2020. -

AFP

The resurgence of the Covid-19 epidemic in Germany makes the situation "very serious", warned on Thursday the reference health authority which urged to respect the barrier gestures to contain the progression of contamination.

“The situation has become very serious overall,” Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch (RKI) health watch institute, told a press conference.

The warning comes as the country recorded a new record for new infections, with 11,287 additional cases in 24 hours, according to figures released Thursday.

Means to contain the epidemic

In all, at least 380,762 people have been infected since the start of the coronavirus epidemic in Germany, of which 9,875 have lost their lives.

"The virus can spread uncontrollably" in some regions since September, added Lothar Wieler, explaining that "young people are currently the most exposed to the virus".

“The more people in private circles get infected, the more they will spread” the virus elsewhere, he said.

The president of the RKI, however, assured that it was still possible to "contain" the spread of the pandemic "by systematically respecting the barrier gestures" but also by "regularly ventilating" the closed rooms: "we are not powerless".

A winter that is decided now

Germany, like all European countries, has been facing a sharp increase in cases of Covid-19 infection for several weeks.

Faced with the epidemic rebound, the German authorities have tightened the restrictions, in particular adopting assembly bans.

An Alpine canton in the south of the country, around Berchtesgaden, has been imposed virtual confinement.

Local restrictions have also been decided, such as in Berlin, where the wearing of masks has been imposed on certain busy streets.

An Alpine canton in the south of the country, around Berchtesgaden, has been imposed virtual confinement.

Chancellor Angela Merkel solemnly asked the population on Saturday to reduce social relations as much as possible, calling for “staying at home” as much as possible.

"What will be winter, what will be our Christmas, will be decided in the days and weeks to come", she had warned.

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