The number of foreigners applying for asylum in Germany was down in the first four months of 2020 against the same time frame last year, the Sunday newspaper Bild am Sonntag reported, citing statistics from the Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).
The number of people applying for asylum for the first time in the country decreased by 29 per cent to 29,132, according to the figures.
In April, the number of applications was down to 4,100 – half the number noted in the same month in 2019.
Officials attributed the dip in numbers to the coronavirus pandemic and beefed up border checks.
Most of the applicants were from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
In 2019, Germany received 142,509 asylum applications, 20,000 fewer than the previous year, according to the Interior Ministry. (dpa/NAN)