Organisers of the ITB travel trade fair in Berlin, billed as the world's biggest, said Friday they were cancelling the event over coronavirus fears.

"We take our responsibility for the security and the health of our guests, exhibitors and employees very seriously. It is with a heavy heart that we have to look at the necessary cancellation of the ITB Berlin 2020," said Christian Göke, chairman of organisers Messe Berlin.

The fair was due to open next Wednesday (March 4th), but concerns grew over the viability of hosting huge numbers of visitors as Germany recorded a jump in the number of infected residents.

With confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in Europe's biggest economy rising above 60, more than 1,000 people were in quarantine in Germany's most populous state Friday.

The district of Heinsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia said it had to take the step of keeping around 1,000 on their homes as an infected couple had participated in carnival celebrations in mid-February.

Schools and kindergartens were also shut in the district until Monday as the number of cases linked to the cluster reached 20.