Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has gone into self-quarantine after coming into contact with a doctor infected with coronavirus, on the same day she unveiled sweeping curbs on social contact designed to slow the spread of the disease.
The news, delivered by her spokesman Steffen Seibert, came minutes after she announced a nationwide, two-week ban on gatherings of more than two people — but stopped short of ordering Germans to stay at home.
Mr Seibert said a doctor who had given Ms Merkel a precautionary vaccine against pneumococcal infection on Friday had since tested positive for the new coronavirus. He said the chancellor would now go into quarantine at home and undergo “regular tests” in the coming days.