A German woman has lit hundreds of candles in the shape of a giant cross to remember those who have lost their lives to coronavirus.
The beautiful tribute is made up of nearly 4,000 flames which represent the 3,868 people in Germany who have died from the virus.
Gertrud Schop, a tax adviser, says she wanted to do something to honour victims while church services are suspended as part of lockdown measures.
For the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, read our liveblog here
A Catholic, she arranged the candles by her home in Zella-Mehlist yesterday and says she will continue until a vaccine for Covid-19 is available, according to Mail Online.
The symbolic gesture, which the 60-year-old put together with the help of volunteers, took seven hours to complete.
It comes as the country's health minister, Jens Spahn, announced that infection numbers have "sunk significantly" and turned a corner.
"The outbreak has - as of today - become controllable and manageable again," he told a news conference on Friday, saying that lockdown measures which began on March 18 have been "successful".
A total of 299 deaths were reported yesterday, making it Germany's second-deadliest day of the pandemic so far.
It brings the total number of deaths to 3,868, while 3,380 new infections has brought the total case tally to 133,830.
However, the Robert Koch Institute has confirmed that the country's Covid-19 reproduction rate - or the number of people that a sick patient goes on to infect, also known as "R" - has now fallen to 0.7.
Reaching an R figure of less than one is a key milestone in flattening the curve of an outbreak, because it means new cases have gone into decline.
Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on Wednesday that some of Germany's more stringent lockdown measures will gradually be relaxed from next week.
"The curve (of infections) has got flatter, but it still has to be in a shape that doesn't overburden our health system," she said.
Smaller non-essential shops which are up to 800 square metres in area will be among the first businesses to reopen, and children are due to be allowed to return to school in early May.
However the country's ban on gatherings of more than two people in public, and instructions to maintain a 1.5m distance from each other, will remain in place.
Citizens will also be advised to wear face masks on public transport and in shops.
