A sign indicates that entry is allowed only to people who are vaccinated against Covid-19 or who have recovered from the disease, a system known as 2G in Germany, and that wearing a mask is compulsory, on a shop in Berlin on December 13, 2021, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Photo: AFP)

German GDP fell by 0.7 percent in the last three months of 2021, official figures published Friday showed, as bottlenecks and new coronavirus restrictions weighed on the economy.

"After production grew in the summer despite bottlenecks and material shortages, the recovery of the German economy was halted due to the fourth wave of the coronavirus and stricter health restrictions," the federal statistics agency Destatis said in a statement.