Germans risk being fined up to 500 euros ($530) for standing too close to each other from today as officials crack down on people flouting rules brought in to control coronavirus.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's government has ordered people not to leave their homes unless they have an exceptional reason such as grocery shopping, exercise or medical appointments.
Gatherings of more than two people are banned and a distance of at least five feet (1.5 metres) must be kept from others at all times.
Local governments have the power to set fines for transgressors, with city officials in Berlin saying their fines would be as high as 500 euros.
Similar announcements have come from across Germany's 16 states.
Hesse, home to finance hub Frankfurt, and North Rhine-Westphalia both promised penalties of up to 200 euros for people who gather in groups of more than two.
Bavaria, Germany's largest state, has been the worst affected by the coronavirus so far, with more than 18,000 cases.
There, people who stand less than five feet apart risk being fined 150 euros.
The crack down comes as Germany's death toll from coronavirus broke through 1,000 today while the number of infections reached nearly 80,000.
The Robert Koch Institute announced another 145 deaths in its latest figures this morning, a similar jump to yesterday's 140 and Wednesday's 149.
It brings Germany's death toll from 872 to 1,017, with a mortality rate of 1.3 per cent of cases - a figure which is still low but is rising relentlessly.
The total infection count rose by 6,174, marginally higher than yesterday, taking the tally from 73,522 to 79,696.
Queues of people standing far apart have become a common sight outside German supermarkets and pharmacies, with many sticking down tape to mark where people should stand on the pavement.
However, German police have also reported numerous violations of the rules.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
