GERMANY 

Nearly 10 million people in Germany could become infected with coronavirus within the next three months, if strict measures to stem its spread are not implemented, the country’s disease control agency warned on Wednesday.

Speaking at a news conference in the capital Berlin, Lothar Wieler , head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said the government’s recent measures to limit social contact in public places, closure of all non-essential shops, bars and sport venues was extremely important to stem the spread of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

“If we don’t succeed in effectively limiting social contact in the coming weeks, it is possible that we will have up to 10 million cases in Germany in the next two to three months,” he said, adding that such a development could lead to collapse of the country’s healthcare system.

He called on citizens to follow basic hygiene measures, refrain from social gatherings, keep at least 1.5 meters distance from others and stay at home except for the most essential reasons.

Germany is the third-worst-affected country by the coronavirus pandemic in Europe, after Italy and Spain.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country rose to 9,877 as of Wednesday morning.

The coronavirus death toll has reached to 26, according to statements by local health authorities.