German Chancellor Angela Merkel forgets to wear face mask, video surfaces online

German Chancellor Angela Merkel briefly panicked when she realised she wasn't wearing a mask during a parliament session in Berlin. In a viral video, she is seen alarmed when she had no mask on and immediately rushed back to get one before she came back to the podium. 

Netizens had mixed reactions after watching the video. While some praised her for being a "responsible leader", a few commented on how it was wrong for her to grab a mask from someone who was already cleaning a table, while others could totally relate to her reaction.

One user wrote, "With great power comes great responsibility! She is a perfect example! Wearing mask is non-negotiable; even if someone is the country head!" The other wrote, "cleaner had already touched mask and she wore same mask."

Angela Merkel responds to vaccine roll-out critics; assures full house at centres by April

WATCH VIDEO 

Chancellor Angela Merkel, starred in a small oversight in the German Parliament, after forgetting her mask after giving a speech. You identify?

pic.twitter.com/GQBQvTzBJT

— Alphoenix (@Alphoenix0)

NETIZENS REACT

Angela Merkel realized she was on TV! "Where's my mask? Am I on TV?" She put the first one she found without respecting the sanitary order not to handle the mask with her hands, mainly from third parties. HYPOCRITICAL!! pic.twitter.com/4EScG7xJhV

— Artur Baudert (@AFelipeMB)

Angela Merkel is all of us when we enter a store and forgot our mask. 🏃‍♀️ 😷

— Auntie B (@b_auntie)

Cleaner had already touched mask & she wore same mask. This is how infections travel than careful & just down mask while giving speech & then, take it back on face. Wonder she had not gone for other mask but had donned same again despite seen person cleaning table #AngelaMerkel

— Aryan (@aryann_in)

Can happen to anyone 👍
Goddess #AngelaMerkel 🇪🇺
Via Karol G. pic.twitter.com/J5fdkG1hjL

— IoannaDementiEU (@IoannaDementi)

The moment no #mask #AngelaMerkel
came FAR TOO CLOSE
to the person at the podium

Don't put #mask on podium
Keep spare #mask handy

Allow the person to STEP BACK
Retreive #mask
Put #mask on
BEFORE walking back

Patience 1st or we get more patients

— purplesat.com (@purplesat)

Germany sees drop in virus cases flatten as variant surges

The head of Germany's disease control agency warned Friday that a decline in new coronavirus cases the country saw has leveled off while the share of cases involving more contagious variants is rising.

Robert Koch Institute President Lothar Wieler said Germany may be heading toward another turning point in the pandemic after weeks of falling infections.

His agency reported 9,113 new COVID-19 cases in the past day, and 508 more virus-related deaths. Germany has recorded almost 2.4 million confirmed cases and 67,206 deaths from the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.

Angela Merkel defends lockdown extension, says mutations could destroy previous success

(With AP inputs)