German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged residents of the country to avoid visiting their relatives on Christmas and communicate with them via video calls amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reported.

“Women and men stationed far away from home to ensure our security know what it means to have limited contact with loved ones,” Merkel said in her weekly video podcast.

“They know what it means to only be able to Skype over a long period of time instead of being together,” she said, referring to Microsoft’s video calling system.

Germany recorded over 31,000 new cases and 702 deaths on Saturday, the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases said

Angela Merkel has repeatedly urged residents of the country to avoid travel and meetings with relatives over the coming holidays.