Germany will not be able to lift all coronavirus lockdown curbs at the beginning of February, Health Minister Jens Spahn said, stressing the need to further reduce contacts to fend off a more virulent variant of the virus.

“One thing is already evident: It will not be possible to loosen all restrictions on Feb 1,” Spahn told Deutschlandfunk radio, adding it would take another two or three months for the effects of a vaccination campaign to kick in.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases reported 19,600 new Covid infections. The death toll rose by 1,060 to 42,637.