File photo

Germany is calling up tens of thousands of reservists to help in the country's battle against the coronavirus pandemic, Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said Thursday.

The army began mobilising its first batches of reserve troops over the weekend, said the minister, adding that it will next standby "other reservist troops in through very targeted calls, and through a general call". 

Europe's biggest economy has a pool of 75,000 reservists for whom the army has updated contact details, the minister said.