Reuters reports that around a quarter of German companies needed liquidity aid last month, the Ifo economic institute said on Tuesday, as Europe's largest economy is struggling with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic despite a gradual easing of social distancing measures.

Some 24% of companies polled needed aid in May - unchanged from April, Ifo said.

The survey showed that 85% of travel agencies and tour operators accepted aid compared with 17% in the industrial sector and 5% in construction.