Germany advises against travel to virus-hit Spanish regions

Germany's foreign ministry on Tuesday advised holidaymakers not to travel to several Spanish regions including Catalonia, home to Barcelona, that have seen coronavirus infection rates rise.

"We currently advise against unnecessary tourist trips to the autonomous communities of Aragon, Catalonia and Navarre due to high infection numbers and local lockdowns," the ministry said on its website.

Spain's rise in COVID-19 cases has prompted most regions to impose rules for masks to be worn everywhere and, in several areas including Barcelona, calls for people to stay at home.

In Germany, the number of confirmed cases has increased by 633 to 206,242 and the reported death toll rose by 4 to 9,122, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday.

RKI head Lothar Wieler later said rapid rise in Germany's coronavirus numbers is very worrying and urged citizens to keep their distance and wear face masks.