Chancellor Merkel calls coronavirus 'biggest challenge since WWII'

German Chancellor Angela  Merkel on Wednesday called that ravaging coronavirus 'biggest challenge since WWII'.

Germany is facing its biggest challenge "since the Second World War" in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Merkel said in a television address urging citizens to heed sweeping confinement measures.

Merkel, in her appeal, urged everyone to play a part in slowing down a virus that has raced across the globe and triggered unprecedented peace-time lockdowns.

She said, "The situation is serious. Take it seriously. Not since German reunification, no, not since the Second World War has our country faced a challenge that depends so much on our collective solidarity."

Currently, the number of virus deaths recorded in Europe has surpassed the fatalities in Asia where the COVID-19 started its live elimination late last year.

European Union has ordered the border closure to curb the spread of the pandemic virus.

In a tenacious bid to slow down the spread of the coronavirus, Germany has expanded entry restrictions to include flights from Italy, Spain, Austria, France, Luxembourg, Denmark and Switzerland, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.

An interior ministry spokesman said the new entry restrictions also apply to sea transport from Denmark.