Few hundred daily coronavirus cases will enable easing lockdown: Germany’s RKI

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s infectious diseases institute on Friday said the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country needs to fall to a few hundred a day before lockdown measures can be eased further and also called for more widespread testing.

“We should not lower our guard now,” Lars Schaade, vice president of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), said.

Germany recorded 2,337 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 150,383 Friday. The reported death toll rose by 227 to 5,321.

Encouraged by lower infection figures, Europe’s largest economy last week allowed smaller stores to re-open from Monday, along with car and bicycle dealers and bookstores, provided they adhere to strict distancing and hygiene rules.

RKI on Friday also widened its recommendation for who should be tested for the virus to include anyone with symptoms of respiratory infections regardless of previous contact with a known COVID-19 case.

“Now that the government is easing restrictions gradually … it is particularly important to be able to identify COVID-19 in people who only have mild symptoms,” RKI’s Schaade said.

He added there was now enough testing capacity and that the common cold was no longer distorting the picture as much as during the winter months.

The country is testing about 260,000 swab samples per week but labs have stocked up to be able to carry out 640,000 weekly tests if needed, according to the association of Germany’s certified labs.

(Reporting by Riham Alkousaa, Joseph Nasr and Ludwig Burger; Editing by Michelle Martin)