German President Frank Steinmeier in quarantine after bodyguard tests COVID-19 positive

German President Frank Walter Steinmeier was sent into isolation on Saturday, October 17 after one of his bodyguards tested positive for COVID-19. As per the President’s office, the 64-year-old German leader also underwent a coronavirus test and has tested negative. However, further tests are planned to ensure his well-being.

Steinmeier is not the first German leader to have been quarantined. In September, countries foreign minister Heiko Mass was also placed in quarantine after one of his bodyguards tested positive. Earlier in March, Chancellor Angela Merkel also isolated herself for two weeks after meeting an infected doctor.

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Largest spike in cases

As of now, Germany has reported over 361,733 cases. On October 17, the nation reported 7,830 new cases, marking the largest spike in cases since the pandemic began. Meanwhile, an aide to Chancellor Angela Merkel is reported to have said that with hard months to come and a stricter clampdown, people will have to stop travelling and partying.

The German Chancellor's chief of staff, Helge Braun, told public broadcaster ARD that the administration has plans to cap the total number of people allowed in public premises, much like England, and sweeping measures to curb transmission rate as Germany battles the second wave. 

Only the politicians' and the population's determination will decide whether or not we can avoid it, or slow it down, Braun said on air in an interview with Germany's public-service broadcaster ARD. He added, further, that Germany was now at the beginning of a second wave and the fresh outbreak spiked to over 4,000 cases earlier this month, the highest tallied 'single-day jump' since April. 

(With ANI Inputs; Image - ANI File)

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