A sign reading ‘Mask Required’ at the entrance of the Christmas market in Frankfurt, Germany, on November 23. Photo by Constantin Zinn/EPA-EFE
Jan. 19 (UPI) — Germany’s public health agency said Wednesday that daily COVID-19 infections in Germany have topped 100,000 for the first time during the pandemic.
COVID-19 infections hit 112,323 over 24 hours with 239 deaths, according to Germany’s Robert Koch Institute. The institute is the German government’s central institution for identification, surveillance and prevention of infectious diseases.
Germany has averaged 75,947 COVID-19 cases per day over the past week, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. Deaths have decreased by 30%.
Germany has hit its highest average COVID-19 cases this month but the highest average number of COVID deaths was in January 2021, according to Johns Hopkins.
The U.S. State Department has issued a Level 4 do not travel advisory for Germany.
The U.S. Embassy in Germany said, “Germany continues to have high rates of COVID-19, with many restrictions imposed across the country. Restrictions are based on regional COVID-19 case numbers and local hospitalization rates.”
According to the German federal government, COVID-19 restrictions still in place in Germany include a maximum of 10 vaccinated people in private gatherings, clubs and discos are closed and large-scale events are to be held without spectators.
Government restrictions also include the requirement for everyone to wear a mask during gatherings in confined spaces. And in schools, the German government said, masks are compulsory at all grade levels