BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2020) The authorities in the German capital of Berlin have strengthened restrictions on mass gatherings amid a surge in new COVID-19 cases, according to an announcement made on Tuesday.
"The number of people allowed at events is limited to 500 people outdoors and 300 indoors," the Berlin Senate said in a press release.
The social distancing measures have been tightened in the German capital as the incidence of new COVID-19 infections continues to rise. On Monday, the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants over the preceding week in Berlin stood at 131.8, nearly three times the benchmark of 50 per 100,000.
Despite the rise, Berlin is not yet suffering from a shortage of available intensive care beds, the city authorities have said.
The previous limit for mass gatherings in Berlin stood at 5,000 outdoors and 1,000 indoors.
The ongoing second wave of the pandemic prompted the Berlin authorities earlier in October to introduce a curfew for restaurants, bars, and shops selling alcohol that began at 23:00 local time [22:00 GMT]. The ban was subsequently suspended by a court in the city, which said that there was insufficient evidence the measure would contribute to a fall in new infections.
Since the start of the outbreak, Germany's Robert Koch Institute has registered 449,275 cases of the coronavirus disease, resulting in 10,098 deaths.
On Tuesday, 11,409 new cases were reported, a significant rise from the 8,685 new positive tests registered on the preceding day.
