Сoronavirus situation in Germany 'has become very serious,' as Berlin declares 4 European states 'risk regions'

Germany is facing a 'very serious' rise in Covid-19 cases, but it is still possible to slow the spread of infection, the public health institute has said. Meanwhile, Berlin has issued new travel warnings for four European states.

The country has seen an increase in coronavirus cases in recent days, Lothar Wieler, the head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) disease control center, said on Thursday.

"The overall situation has become very serious," Wieler said. However, he added that it is still possible to bring the virus under control through "systematic compliance with restrictive measures."

The statement came as the RKI recorded 11,287 new cases over the past 24 hours. The previous record figure of 7,830 daily infections was reported on Saturday.

The institute said on Thursday that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany rose by more than 10,000 in a single day for the first time, bringing the total to 392,049. The death toll rose by 30 to 9,905, according to the institute's tally.

To contain the spread of coronavirus cases, Germany also issued travel warnings for Switzerland, Ireland, Poland and most of Austria on Thursday, as these have seen new infections surge in recent weeks. The warnings will take effect from October 24.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn tested positive for Covid-19 himself on Wednesday and has been quarantining at home. The government, however, sees no reason for other ministers to quarantine as they follow social distancing and mask rules.

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