BERLIN, June 14 (Xinhua) -- For the first time in more than eight months, the number of new COVID-19 infections within one day in Germany fell below 1,000, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced on Monday.
Guests enjoy the sunny weather outside at a beach bar on the bank of the Spree river in Berlin on June 10, 2021 amid the ongoing coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. (File photo: AFP)
"With the declining incidences, we should proceed in stages," Minister of Health Jens Spahn told the Funke media group on Monday. In a first step, the mask obligation in outside areas could be dropped. In regions with a very low incidence and high vaccination rates, this would gradually apply to indoors as well.
According to a survey by market research institute YouGov published on Monday, 59 percent of German citizens were in favor of also lifting mask obligations during school lessons in closed rooms.
To date, more than 3.71 million COVID-19 infections have been officially registered in Germany since the outbreak of the pandemic. The death toll climbed to 89,844 on Monday, according to the RKI.
