Chancellor Angela Merkel pleaded with Germans on Monday to comply with new restrictions to achieve a “turnaround” in the fight against the pandemic, and held out hope that families would be able to spend Christmas together, AFP reports.

“We are dependent on the cooperation, acceptance and understanding of the people in our country for this to work,” Merkel said on the first day of a four-week shutdown of restaurants, bars and cafes as well as cultural and leisure centres.

“It's in everyone's own hands to make this November a joint success, a turnaround,” she told reporters in Berlin.

Germany has in recent days registered record numbers of new coronavirus infections, prompting a new round of restrictions in Europe's top economy.