BERLIN, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the mayors of the country's 11 largest cities have agreed that special restrictions are needed immediately to keep new COVID-19 infections below the critical warning level of 50 per 100,000 inhabitants over a seven-day period, the German government said on Friday.

At a press conference, Merkel said that these were "crucial weeks" in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The country's cities have reported significant increases in infections in recent days.

"It has to be our goal to keep the number of infections within a range where every infection can be traced," Merkel said following her video conference with the mayors.

The restrictions would include the extension of the obligation to wear a mouth-nose cover; size limits for group gatherings in public and at private parties; and, if necessary, the introduction of a curfew and possible restrictions on the sale of alcoholic beverages at restaurants and bars.

"I know that if there have to be strict rules for weddings and family celebrations, then this intervenes deeply in our private life and our freedom," said Merkel. "But we are at a point where we have to set priorities."

If the number of new COVID-19 infections in hotspots cannot be kept below the critical warning level within ten days at the latest, additional targeted restrictions would become unavoidable, a government document said.

"The infection numbers might be rising, but we are anything but powerless," Merkel said, appealing to the citizens to follow the COVID-19 rules.

As the world is struggling to control the pandemic, countries across the globe -- among them Germany, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States -- are racing to find a vaccine.

According to the website of the World Health Organization, as of Oct. 2, there were 193 COVID-19 candidate vaccines being developed worldwide, 42 of them in clinical trials. Enditem

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