Germany records highest daily infection toll since

BERLIN- Agence France Presse

Germany has recorded 1,707 new cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the highest daily toll since April, official figures showed on Aug. 20. 

Germany has fared better than many European neighbors in suppressing the virus so far but like elsewhere, the number of cases has jumped significantly over the summer holidays.

Much of the rise has been blamed on returning holidaymakers as well as parties and family gatherings.
The latest figures, from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases, bring to 228,621 the number of infections in the country since the start of the pandemic.

It takes the daily toll back to a level not seen since late April, when the pandemic was considered to be at its peak.
The daily record of new cases in Germany is just over 6,000, registered in early April.

Ten new deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 9,253.

Faced with a surge in cases, Germany earlier this month introduced free, mandatory tests for anyone returning from areas deemed a high risk for COVID-19 infections.

Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Tuesday there could be no further relaxation of coronavirus restrictions.

She urged Germans to follow the rules on hygiene precautions and reminded travelers returning from risk areas that quarantine was not an option "but a must" so long as they could not show a negative test.

Some experts however have said that the jump in the infection toll could be explained by a sharp rise in the number of tests being carried out in the country.