MojNews-Life can only fully return to normal once a vaccine against the novel coronavirus is found, an official from Germany’s disease control agency said on Tuesday.

Lars Schaade, vice president of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), told a news conference in Berlin that hygiene and social distancing measures should continue for a long period, despite a recent slowdown in the rate of new COVID-19 cases in Germany.

“Even if we came to a point where we have no new cases in Germany, a new wave would still be possible due to new infections from abroad,” he said.

“Until we have a vaccine available, and for the time being nobody knows if or when it will be available, we must continue our measures to avoid infection ,” he stressed.