Merkel’s Quarantine Puts Another Crack in Europe’s Virus Defense By
Arne Delfs and
Patrick Donahue
March 23, 2020, 1:44 AM GMT+8 Updated on March 23, 2020, 6:16 AM GMT+8
BLOOMBERG
Chancellor self-isolates after immunization shot for pneumonia
Merkel to be tested in coming days, will work from home
Angela Merkel Photographer: John MacDougall/AFP via Getty Images
Angela Merkel’s ability to remain the public face of Germany’s coronavirus response was thrown into question after the chancellor quarantined herself at home following contact with a doctor who later tested positive for the disease.
The doctor gave Merkel, 65, a precautionary immunization against bacterial pneumonia on Friday and the chancellor decided to self-isolate once she learned of his positive test, government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Sunday. Merkel — who suffered a health scare last year with unexplained shaking fits — will be regularly tested in coming days and perform her duties from home, Seibert added.
Shortly before the announcement, Merkel spoke at a news conference following consultations with regional leaders. She detailed new restrictions to try to contain the spread of the virus and was asked how she is dealing personally with the situation.
“I’ve canceled almost all appointments where people would have come into the chancellery or where I would have gone to people,” she said. “So my life has also changed fundamentally and consists mainly of telephone and video conferences.”
The chancellor is leading by example as she tries to persuade Germans to take the threat of the virus seriously. While Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also self-isolating, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his deputy and rival Pablo Iglesias have both continued to attend cabinet meetings after their partners tested positive with the virus.
‘Short Contact’
Merkel won’t attend a cabinet meeting Monday and has postponed a speech in parliament to brief lawmakers on her government’s coronavirus response, chancellery chief of staff Helge Braun said.
“It was a short contact,” Braun said on ARD television. “We’re hopeful that the chancellor may not even be infected. But she has decided to set a good example and enter quarantine.”
Merkel initially allowed her health minister, Jens Spahn, to take the lead in communicating Germany’s strategy to deal with the virus, but has taken on an increasingly prominent role as the scale of the threat became apparent.
Last week, the trained physicist made the first crisis address on television of her more than 14 years in office, telling the nation to take the virus seriously and winning plaudits for her matter-of-fact approach while she lined up a massive spending plan to keep the German economy alive.
EU Leaders
Her unrivaled status within the council of European Union leaders may prove critical in the weeks ahead as the bloc EU to agree on plans to finance the stimulus spending required to limit the economic impact of the virus.
Just for starters, her ruling coalition plans to put a supplementary budget worth 150 billion euros ($160 billion) through parliament this week. Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to chair Monday’s cabinet meeting.
After stepping down as leader of her Christian Democratic Union in late 2018, Merkel had distanced herself from domestic politics and announced that her fourth term, due to end in fall 2021, would be her last.
She appears to have learned from her mistakes during the refugee crisis in 2015, when she was criticized for not communicating the reasons for her decisions.
She now gives regular updates on the government response to the virus, as after her consultations with German regional leaders on Sunday and her video conferences with Group of Seven and EU leaders last week.
Chancellor self-isolates after immunization shot for pneumonia
Merkel to be tested in coming days, will work from home
Angela Merkel Photographer: John MacDougall/AFP via Getty ImagesAngela Merkel’s ability to remain the public face of Germany’s coronavirus response was thrown into question after the chancellor quarantined herself at home following contact with a doctor who later tested positive for the disease.
The doctor gave Merkel, 65, a precautionary immunization against bacterial pneumonia on Friday and the chancellor decided to self-isolate once she learned of his positive test, government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Sunday. Merkel — who suffered a health scare last year with unexplained shaking fits — will be regularly tested in coming days and perform her duties from home, Seibert added.
Shortly before the announcement, Merkel spoke at a news conference following consultations with regional leaders. She detailed new restrictions to try to contain the spread of the virus and was asked how she is dealing personally with the situation.
“I’ve canceled almost all appointments where people would have come into the chancellery or where I would have gone to people,” she said. “So my life has also changed fundamentally and consists mainly of telephone and video conferences.”
The chancellor is leading by example as she tries to persuade Germans to take the threat of the virus seriously. While Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also self-isolating, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his deputy and rival Pablo Iglesias have both continued to attend cabinet meetings after their partners tested positive with the virus.
‘Short Contact’
Merkel won’t attend a cabinet meeting Monday and has postponed a speech in parliament to brief lawmakers on her government’s coronavirus response, chancellery chief of staff Helge Braun said.
“It was a short contact,” Braun said on ARD television. “We’re hopeful that the chancellor may not even be infected. But she has decided to set a good example and enter quarantine.”
Merkel initially allowed her health minister, Jens Spahn, to take the lead in communicating Germany’s strategy to deal with the virus, but has taken on an increasingly prominent role as the scale of the threat became apparent.
Last week, the trained physicist made the first crisis address on television of her more than 14 years in office, telling the nation to take the virus seriously and winning plaudits for her matter-of-fact approach while she lined up a massive spending plan to keep the German economy alive.
EU Leaders
Her unrivaled status within the council of European Union leaders may prove critical in the weeks ahead as the bloc EU to agree on plans to finance the stimulus spending required to limit the economic impact of the virus.
Just for starters, her ruling coalition plans to put a supplementary budget worth 150 billion euros ($160 billion) through parliament this week. Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to chair Monday’s cabinet meeting.
After stepping down as leader of her Christian Democratic Union in late 2018, Merkel had distanced herself from domestic politics and announced that her fourth term, due to end in fall 2021, would be her last.
She appears to have learned from her mistakes during the refugee crisis in 2015, when she was criticized for not communicating the reasons for her decisions.
She now gives regular updates on the government response to the virus, as after her consultations with German regional leaders on Sunday and her video conferences with Group of Seven and EU leaders last week.
