German officials 'very concerned' by rising cases
The head of Germany's public health agency has said he is "very concerned" by rising infections in the united states.
"We are in the center of a rapidly developing pandemic," Lothar Wieler, brain of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), told reporters.
Mr Wieler said Germans had become "negligent" and urged people to wear masks and value social distancing and hygiene guidelines.
Previously week the united states has recorded 3,611 new infections.
The warning comes as countries across Europe grapple with new infections and the challenge of travellers moving over the continent for the summertime holidays.
On Tuesday Germany issued a travelling warning for three areas in Spain - Aragón, Catalonia and Navarra - which have seen a recent spike in infections.
It shows up after the UK imposed a 14-working day quarantine on most arrivals from Spain - a good move Spanish Primary Minister Pedro Sánchez called "unjust".
Germany announced on Mon a programme of no cost, mandatory coronavirus assessment for travellers returning from a set of high-risk countries. The list currently comes with Brazil, Turkey and the united states, and officials said it'll be updated daily.
At a press meeting on Tuesday, Mr Wieler asked persons for the very first time to wear a mask outdoors if indeed they cannot preserve a physical distance of at least 1.5 metres (5ft).
Previously the guidance had been to wear masks indoors in public areas.
The head of the RKI said Germans must stop the virus once again spreading "rapidly and uncontrollably" by following hygiene and distancing measures.
"We don't know but if this is actually the beginning of another wave but of course it may be," Mr Wieler stated. "But I am optimistic that if we comply with the hygiene rules we are able to prevent it, it's up to us."
Overall, Germany has recorded 206,242 cases and 9,122 deaths.
These numbers - specifically the death toll - are less than a great many other European states, and Germany has earned praise domestically and internationally for its fast response to the pandemic and its own mass testing programme.
However in recent days instances have jumped. New documented infections increased by 633 on Tuesday, almost double Monday's rise of 340. Over the last week the country has reported typically 557 different infections daily, weighed against about 350 in early June.
Moreover, the go up is widespread, with counties in the united states reporting new instances. An RKI official explained that just a few weeks ago practically 150 counties were reporting no new infections, compared with only 95 counties nowadays.
