BERLIN,  – Germany reported on Thursday 26,923 more COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 1,406,161, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

The nationwide death toll rose by 698 to 24,125, the data showed.

Germany will enter a stricter lockdown from Wednesday, closing non-essential shops and limiting the size of private gatherings, Chancellor Angela Merkel and regional leaders said on Sunday.

The tighter restrictive measures, which will be effective until Jan. 10, were in response to an “exponential growth” in the number of COVID-19 cases in Germany, according to a policy paper.