Berlin, Mar 12 (IANS): The daily number of new Covid-19 cases in Germany increased to 252,836 on Friday, exceeding last Friday's figure by 35,000, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases said on Friday.

The country's 7-day Covid-19 incidence rate also increased to 1,439 per 100,000 inhabitants on Friday. On Thursday, the country reported a new all-time high of 262,752 cases, Xinhua news agency reported.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said the situation in the country was critical. "We cannot be satisfied when 200 to 250 people die each day," he told journalists

"Without mandatory vaccination, we will not get the pandemic under control in autumn," Lauterbach warned. "We will be facing exactly the same situation in the autumn as we are now, if not worse."

As of Thursday, at least 48 million people, or 57.7 per cent of the population, had received a booster dose in Germany, while 19.6 million people are not vaccinated, according to official figures.

Due to less severe cases associated with the Omicron variant, Germany's federal and state governments have agreed to successively relax most Covid-19 measures by March 20. However, basic protection measures, such as a face mask mandate in certain areas, will remain in force.

The relaxation of Covid-19 measures remains controversial in Germany, according to a Politbarometer survey published by broadcaster ZDF on Friday. Half of the country's citizens agree with the decision, while almost as many remain opposed.