BERLIN (Reuters) - Berlin city authorities on Wednesday banned all events with more than 1,000 participants until the end of the Easter holidays in mid-April to slow the spread of the coronavirus, officials said.

“The coronavirus continues to spread. In such a phase, public life must be restricted,” Berlin’s local Health Minister Dilek Kalayci said.

“The spread of the coronavirus can be slowed down by reducing major events. At the beginning of an epidemic, such a restriction is important,” Kalayci added.