COVID-19: Germany to limit private gatherings among vaccinated to a maximum of 10 people before New Year's Eve

Germany will introduce new measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said.

They include limiting private gatherings among the vaccinated to a maximum of 10 people before New Year's Eve.

He also agreed with the premiers of Germany's 16 federal states that big events, including football matches, would take place without fans.

It is hoped the measures will encourage people to get vaccinated, as a fifth wave of coronavirus threatens the country.

"It is only a matter of weeks before omicron is dominant here," Mr Scholz said.

Meanwhile officials at Germany's Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases have called for "maximum contact restrictions" to be imposed at once.