BERLIN, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- After Germany's Saarland was the first state to loosen health regulations in schools last week, Bavaria and Berlin followed suit and relaxed face mask requirements on Monday.

Federal Minister of Education Anja Karliczek expressed understanding for the end of mandatory masks in schools. "Wearing masks interferes with normal teaching and is stressful for students," she told the Rheinische Post newspaper.

Berlin is lifting the mask requirement for younger classes up to sixth grade, while Bavaria generally no longer requires masks to be worn in class. Other states such as Baden-Wuerttemberg and Saxony are considering similar steps.

"However, if the mask requirement is relaxed, testing must continue or even increase in schools," Karliczek demanded, with a view to possibly further increasing infection figures after the fall vacations.

Germany's seven-day COVID-19 incidence rate remained stable and increased only slightly on Monday to 64.7 cases per 100,000 people, from 64.2 cases on the previous day and 61.7 a week ago, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for disease control and prevention.

The number of daily COVID-19 infections in Germany was also only slightly above the level a week ago as 3,088 new cases were registered within one day, only 66 more than last Monday, according to the RKI.

The repeal of mandatory masks in schools has been the subject of controversy in Germany for days. While doctors' representatives welcomed it, virologists considered it premature because distance rules do not apply in classrooms and children under 12 cannot be vaccinated. Enditem

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