Germany has achieved a key target in the struggle against coronavirus and the outbreak in the country is now “manageable,” health authorities announced on Friday.

The spread of the virus has slowed to the point where those infected are now passing it on to an average of fewer than one other person.

The reproduction factor, or R0, is now 0.7 in Germany — meaning every ten people with the virus infect an average of seven others.

That compares to an estimated German R0 of between 3 and 4 at the start of the outbreak in March.

The dramatic slowing means the German healthcare system can start to return to a normal footing in May, Jens Spahn, the health minister announced.

“The outbreak is becoming more and more manageable every day. There are now more people who have recovered than those who are newly infected,” Mr Spahn told a press conference in Berlin.