On Friday, Germany’s fitness minister suggested the country’s 16 states strengthen their coronavirus measures amid new emerging cases.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said he was in favor of requiring indoor masks, a move that has largely faded in Germany, on public transport, medical services and nursing homes.
“The direction we are going is good,” Lauterbach told reporters in Berlin.
He added that it would be better for states to impose restrictions now than stricter restrictions later. “The faster we press the brake, the better,” he said.
The German government has recorded more than 114,000 new cases shown in the past 24 hours and 165 COVID-related deaths.
Lauterbach said the actual number of cases may be only 3 to 4 times higher, as many positive effects with immediate testing are never reported to authorities.
A building sometimes in Bavaria has been linked to the recent Oktoberfest, which attracts thousands of visitors every year.
Lauterbach said more may have been done to restrict the spread of the virus at Munich’s beer festival, such as providing or enforcing on-site testing to visitors.
The Ministry of Health on Friday announced a new advertising campaign of nearly 33 million euros ($32 million), 84 case studies of other real people affected by COVID-19 to promote vaccines.
Lauterbach said getting vaccinated remains an important way for recipients and others. The risk of death for others over 60 is reduced by 90 percent if they receive a fourth vaccine, he said.
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