The German Bundesliga has been ordered to hold games behind closed doors after the country witnessed an alarming spike in coronavirus infections.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that all professional sport in Germany should go back behind closed doors as part of a string of measures to curb record-high numbers of the coronavirus.

The latest measures will come into effect from 2 November until the end of the month after Germany announced a record high Wednesday of 14,964 new cases in the last 24 hours.

Since the 2020/21 Bundesliga season started in mid-September, Germany’s football clubs had been allowed to host small numbers of fans for home games, providing each local health authority granted permission.

One noticeable exception is European champions Bayern Munich, who have had to play all their home games at the Allianz Arena behind closed doors since the pandemic first hit Europe in mid-March on advice of the local health authority.

But from Monday all professional sport in Germany will go back behind closed doors after Merkel and the regional leaders of Germany’s 16 states agreed to the new measures.