More than 20,000 people demonstrated on Saturday in Leipzig, in eastern Germany, against government-imposed restrictions meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The protests were carried out after a court rejected the city's attempt to move the protest away from a central square, police said.

By the city's calculations, only 5,000 people could gather in Augustusplatz plaza while keeping the manadatory distance from one another. With organizers expecting at least 16,000 participants, administrators had sought to have the demonstration moved to a larger location outside the city center.

Many of the 27 demonstrations and rallies were organised by Querdenker ('lateral thinkers'), a movement of corona-deniers that is critical of the government's pandemic policy. In addition, some far-right movements and conspiracy theorists were also said to have taken part.

"It is hard to explain how only two households are permitted to meet together and yet 16,000 people are allowed to demonstrate on one plaza," said Matthias Hasberg, a Leipzig city spokesman. The court did not issue details about its reasoning.

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Few people at the protest wore masks or kept their distance from others, despite police warning from megaphones and officers walking through the crowds on foot to caution them.

One woman carried a sign that read "For: truth, justice and freedom" while wearing a mask over her eyes and leaving her nose and mouth uncovered.

A little more than two hours after it began, the city ordered the event to be shut down due to mask non-compliance. Many protesters refused to leave. Meanwhile, police warned on social media that they were video recording participants as evidence of who was committing crimes or civil infractions with their behavior.

About half the crowd stayed when it got dark outside. At a smaller counter-demonstration nearby, people waved signs urging respect for coronavirus restrictions.

The demonstration came as Germany finished its first week of what is being called "lockdown light" with new restrictions to try and slow spiking coronavirus cases.

The Robert Koch Institute, the country's disease control center, said on Saturday that Germany's states had reported 23,300 new daily cases, surpassing the record of 21,506 set the day before.

A four-week partial shutdown that took effect on Monday led to closure of bars, restaurants, leisure centers and sports facilities. It also imposed new restrictions on contact with other people while shops and schools remain open.

The Robert Koch Institute says any effects from the measures will be seen two to three weeks from the start of the closures.

In Munich, an appeals court on Saturday upheld the southern city's ban on demonstrations against coronavirus restrictions that were scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

The court ruled authorities in the Bavarian city were within their rights to ban the demonstrations under infection protection regulations, according to dpa, the German press agency.