Berlin [Germany], February 5 (ANI/Sputnik): The number of new COVID-19 cases in Germany has significantly sunk but that is not enough for the long-term termination of the lockdown, Chancellor Angela Merkel told the RTL and N-TV broadcasters.

"We are on a good way, and the number [of new cases] is clearly decreasing. However, we have said that we must ensure that the healthcare bodies regain control over [social] contacts, which is possible with no more than 50 [new cases] per 100,000 people within seven weeks. Unfortunately, we have not reached that yet," Merkel said on late Thursday.

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11. To date, more than 104.6 million people have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide, with over 2.27 million fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Germany has confirmed more than 2.25 million coronavirus cases, with around 60,000 fatalities, Robert Koch Institute says. (ANI/Sputnik)

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