They include limiting private gatherings among the vaccinated to a maximum of 10 people before New Year's Eve.

He also agreed with the premiers of Germany's 16 federal states that big events, including football matches, would take place without fans.

It is hoped the measures will encourage people to get vaccinated, as a fifth wave of coronavirus threatens the country.

"It is only a matter of weeks before Omicron is dominant here," Mr Scholz said.

The chancellor tweeted on Tuesday evening: "I can understand everyone who doesn't want to hear about mutations and virus variants, especially before Christmas.

"But we must not close our eyes to the Omicron wave that looms in front of us."

He added: "We have to stand together and still keep our distance so that our country can get through well in the near future."

Mr Scholz said nightclubs and discos would remain closed and major national events will be held without an audience.

There is also a ban on gathering and fireworks on New Year's Eve, the chancellor said.

Meanwhile officials at Germany's Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases have called for "maximum contact restrictions" to be imposed at once.

But the restrictions have been met with some resistance, with thousands in Germany and across Europe taking to the streets to protest.

It comes as the nation's healthcare system faced criticism for being "outdated" - with doctors still mainly communicating via fax machine and paper.

The rollout of a digital prescriptions system in Germany will not meet a legally-binding deadline of 1 January next year, due to delayed testing and a lack of technological infrastructure, the country's health ministry said on Tuesday.

Germany announced that travellers from the UK would have to to quarantine from midnight on Monday as ministers fight to contain Omicron.

The country has recorded a total of 6.83 million cases and 109,000 deaths, according to the latest published data.

The region of North Rhine-Westphalia has reported 1.32 million cases and almost 20,000 deaths compared with the capital Berlin which has 313,000 cases and just under 4,000 deaths.