World

Reuters

Germany will restrict the size of gatherings and fine people who flout tracking rules in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus over autumn and winter, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday. The restrictions would be targeted, as a further shutdown of the whole country needed to be avoided "at all costs", she said after a conference with the leaders of Germany's 16 states, adding that keeping the economy going was a priority. By European standards, Germany has experienced relatively low infection and death rates so far during the pandemic, but Merkel said cases could hit 19,200 per day if current trends continued.