German Chancellor Angela Merkel has appealed to citizens to do more to fight rising numbers of coronavirus infections across the country, urging Germans in a video message to abide by the regulations set out by the government.
“We must do everything to ensure that the virus does not spread in an uncontrolled way. Every day now counts,” Merkel said as daily infections have hit record highs this past week.
“How the winter will be, how our Christmas will be, that will be decided in the coming days and weeks,” Merkel added.
Germany’s strategy against the pandemic has so far centered around effective contact tracing of infected individuals in order to isolate them before they can infect others.
“Health authorities are doing amazing work in this regard … but where the number of infections become too high, they simply cannot keep up,” the German Chancellor said.
In an effort to stem the continued spread of the virus, Merkel also urged citizens to “meet with a lot fewer people” both outside and inside their homes, adding that people should try to avoid traveling or attending large gatherings unless absolutely necessary.
“If each us drastically reduces the amount of contacts outside if their own family, then it is possible to stop and even reverse this trend,” she added.