(March 19): Germany’s coronavirus cases rose by the most in two months and the contagion rate inched closer to a critical threshold, days before Chancellor Angela Merkel hosts talks to decide on the government’s lockdown strategy.

The number of new cases jumped by 28,489 in the 24 hours through Friday morning, the most since Jan. 21, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The country’s seven-day incidence rate per 100,000 people climbed to 95.6, the highest in more than a month and close to the threshold at which Merkel and regional officials agreed to reimpose restrictions.