9:58 a.m. ET, April 24, 2020
Germany's largest state will allow some religious services next month
From CNN's Nadine Schmidt in Berlin
A woman pushing a stroller walks at the empty Marienplatz in Munich on April 21.
Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images
Bavaria, Germany's largest federal state, will allow church and other religious services to go ahead under certain conditions beginning on May 4, local authorities said on Friday.
Visitors must maintain a distance of about 2 meters, or about six feet, from each other and wear face coverings. There will also be a 60-minute time limit, Bavaria's head of the state chancellery Florian Herrmann told CNN in a statement.
He warned that there needs to be an abundance of caution in conducting the services, adding: ''No infections should follow from encounters of faith! Faith and community strengthens us, especially in challenging times.''
Bavaria is the German state with the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths.