The only city in Germany to make facemasks compulsory in public has recorded no new coronavirus infections in eight days, it emerged on Friday.

The news will raise hopes masks could be effective in containing the virus and add to calls for them to be made made mandatory elsewhere.

While Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have all imposed facemask requirements, Germany has stopped short of making them compulsory, instead “requesting” and “strongly recommending” their use.

But in the city of Jena in the former communist east facemasks have been mandatory while shopping and on public transport for almost two weeks.

The city currently has 155 people infected with the coronavirus but has seen no new cases in the last eight days.

There has been no scientific study of the figures yet and city officials have declined to comment.

Jena made facemasks compulsory on public transport and while shopping on April 6, and this week expanded the requirement to apply to all workplaces.