Merkel announces easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that COVID-19 restrictions in the country would be eased while minimum social distance and hygiene rules would continue to apply.

"I think we can say that we have passed the first phase of the pandemic," Merkel said on Wednesday after a telephone conference with minister-presidents of federal states.

The Chancellor said that the current figures released by Germany's disease control agency RKI were "very pleasing" and German citizens had "lived responsibly and thus saved the lives of other people", reports Xinhua news agency.

Merkel confirmed an "emergency mechanism" which would be triggered if more than 50 new infections over seven days per 100,000 inhabitants were locally detected in a certain region.

If such rates were measured, the affected federal states would be required to reintroduce stricter measures, although states would be allowed to decide how exactly the measures would look like.

A minimum distance of 1.5 metres and obligatory face masks in certain places such as public transport would continue to exist, and the contact restrictions in Germany would remain in force until June 5.

However, the contact restriction on people within the same household was eased.

People from two households, such as two families, two couples or members of shared flats, were now allowed to meet each other.

In addition, emergency care in German schools and day-care centers were to be expanded "because children rightly want to return to their normal lives", said Merkel, stressing that the process was ongoing.

A complete visitation ban in nursing homes for older people was also lifted.

Now a permanent contact person was again permitted to visit relatives in such institutions.

Bavaria on Tuesday announced its schedule for a gradual reopening, ahead of the telephone conference between Merkel and federal state leaders.

The state government of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania also announced plans to lift restrictions on Tuesday.

On Monday, Lower Saxony became the first German state to present a step-by-step plan to ease restrictions.

So far, Germany has reported 168,162 COVID-19 cases, with 7,275 deaths.