The Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg reopened yesterday amid pressure for the lockdown to be lifted, but Angela Merkel has voiced concerns that the measure may be premature

Germany may be compelled to bring back elements of its lockdown amid signs that coronavirus cases could be on the point of starting to multiply again.

The country’s virus reproduction rate, which measures how many people the average person with Covid-19 infects, has rebounded to a value of 1.0, the dividing line between growth and decline, according to epidemiologists.

Angela Merkel has warned that hospitals will be overwhelmed by the end of June if the number rises only a little. She also said a corresponding increase in infections would make a second “shutdown” unavoidable.

The figure is likely to exacerbate divisions over Germany’s strategy as ministers prepare to discuss the next steps at a video conference tomorrow.

Over the past week the 16 states have