Angela Merkel warns of potential 'disaster' as Germany records highest daily case total

Angela Merkel is said to be deeply concerned that new coronavirus restrictions agreed by regional leaders do not go far enough and Germany may be heading for "disaster".

The warning comes as Germany and Italy – two countries that appeared to have escaped the worst of the second wave – recorded their highest daily rise in infections since the start of the pandemic.

Mrs Merkel put on a brave face for the cameras after German regional leaders stopped short of agreeing tough new measures she had proposed on Wednesday.

But behind closed doors she reportedly lost her temper during  marathon six-hour talks with the leaders of Germany's 16 states, telling them she was "not happy" and warning: "What you've agreed is not enough to avert disaster."

Under Germany's federal system, the state governments have the final say over lockdown measures and Mrs Merkel is powerless to overrule them.

Regional leaders agreed new restrictions for areas where the infection rate rises over safety limits, including an 11pm curfew for restaurants and pubs, a limit of 10 on gatherings and the mandatory use of face masks in crowded areas outdoors.

They also issued a warning that Germany will have to impose much tougher restrictions if the infection rate does not start to fall in the next 10 days, but they rejected pressure from Mrs Merkel for immediate restrictions on internal travel within the country.

Many states have agreed to a ban on hotel or holiday rental stays for people from areas with a high infection rate but several key states, including Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia are refusing to implement the ban, arguing that it will be devastating for the tourist economy.

Regional leaders agreed to defer a final decision on the issue until next month.

The divisions came as Germany recorded its highest daily rise in infections since the start of the pandemic, with 6,638 cases recorded on Wednesday.

Experts warned that the figures cannot be compared to those during the first wave, and said the surge could be down to a bottleneck in testing after some laboratories temporarily ran out of supplies.

But the rise will cause concern in a country that, until recently, believed it had escaped the second wave gripping much of Europe.

Politicians in Germany are openly talking about the need to take action now in order to prevent a lockdown over Christmas.

But in Italy, virologists are already warning that a Christmas lockdown may be inevitable.

The country recorded its highest daily rise in infections since the pandemic began on Wednesday, with 7,300, although deaths remain far lower than in March, and experts said the surge coincided with a record number of tests.

"I think a lockdown at Christmas is in the order of things: we could reset the system, lower the transmission of the virus and boost contact tracing," said Andrea Crisanti, a leading Italian virologist.

"The way things are right now, the system is saturated... As cases have risen, the capacity for contact tracing and doing swabs drops and you go into a vicious circle that pushes the transmission of the virus up."

Giuseppe Conte, the Italian prime minister, said: "If the number of infections continues to rise, and the number of people in hospital and in intensive care, we will once again be heading into difficulties."