The government’s agency for disease control and prevention, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said on Monday the index measuring the number of Covid-19 cases edged up to 6.4 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants over the last seven days.

The index fell to below 5 at the start of July as the roll-out of vaccinations picked up, prompting moves to ease restrictions across the nation and paving the way for the annual summer vacation season.

German health authorities also reported early Monday the daily new coronavirus caseload count rose to 324. A week ago, the number stood at 212.

Nationwide, two deaths were recorded within 24 hours, according to the RKI’s Monday data.

About 43 per cent of the nation’s population are now fully vaccinated.

Tobias Hans, the premier of the small western German state of Saarland, joined other leading political figures in calling on Sunday for a further relaxation of the Covid-19 rules as the vaccination rate increases.

“When everyone has received a full vaccination offer and vaccination helps to protect against severe cases of even newer variants, we must gradually roll back our coronavirus measures,” Hans, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, told the weekly Welt am Sonntag.

As a further sign of a return to normalcy in the nation, an increasing number of employees are back working in the office rather than at home, according to a report released on Monday and drawn up by the Munich-based Ifo Institute.

The proportion of employees working at least part-time in a home office fell from 31 per cent in May to 28.4 per cent in June, Ifo said.