Germany’s top diplomat in quarantine as precaution

By Busra Nur Bilgic Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) – The German foreign minister put himself into quarantine as a precaution after a member of his security staff tested positive for coronavirus, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

"Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is self-isolating as of today after it was established that a member of his close protection team has contracted COVID-19," it said in a statement.

It added that while the minister has tested negative, it was being investigated if, and to what extent, other individuals are affected and what measures need to be taken.

The 54-year-old politician has called off his forthcoming trip to Jordan as a result.

In March, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also went into self-isolation after a medical check-up with a doctor who tested positive for the novel virus.

Germany has so far registered 278,515 virus cases, including 9,421 deaths and 245,999 recoveries, according to the latest figures by Johns Hopkins University.

The virus has infected more than 31.6 million people and killed nearly 972,000 in 188 countries and regions since last December.

The US and India have the most confirmed cases, but there is a renewed spike in infections across Europe.

Several countries are working to find a safe and effective vaccine.