German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans on Tuesday to follow social distancing rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as public health agencies report a spike in cases.

“The good news is, if we stick to the rules, a lot of public life is possible,” Merkel said in public remarks during a visit to the western German state of North-Rhine Westphalia.

“If the numbers go back down we can open up more. If they don’t, or rise, we must ask what is needed and in any case a further easing of measures cannot take place now,” she continued.

Merkel also warned of fines for not following social distancing guidelines. The government requires wearing masks while using public transportation or in shops.

Although Germany had low daily cases in June and July, infections have surged in August. Germany’s public health body, the Robert Koch Institute, on Tuesday reported 1,390 new cases.

Germany has recently enacted new measures requiring travelers coming from “high-risk” countries be tested for the virus. Germany has also advised its citizens not to travel to most of Spain due to a rise in cases there.

German Health Minister Jen Spahn recently told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper he knows "how much Germans love Spain as a vacation destination. But the numbers there are rising quickly, too quickly."

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, there are 364,196 COVID-19 cases in Spain as of Tuesday, with the country’s death toll at 28,670.

Germany’s response to the virus has often been praised, due to the country’s oversupply of hospital beds and widespread testing regime. Germany has even had the resources to take in COVID-19 patients from other European Union countries such as France and Italy.

RELATED STORIES
Coronavirus Germany