Germany needs to stay vigilant and further bring down the number of coronavirus infections if the country is to enjoy a “carefree summer” and large-scale reopenings, Health Minister Jens Spahn said.

“The weather is improving, the number of vaccinations is rising, infection rates are falling. The restrictions will fall one by one,” Spahn told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

“And that's incredibly important after the long, dark winter months. But for a carefree summer, we need to lower the incidence rate even further,” he said.

Germany has in recent weeks managed to break a third wave of the pandemic after imposing strict nationwide curbs and picking up the pace of vaccinations, AFP reports.