Angela Merkel returns to office after 14 days in quarantine

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has left her home in Berlin for the first time in almost two weeks, after coming into contact with a doctor who had contracted coronavirus. 

Merkel out of quarantine after 2 weeks

Merkel returned to office on Friday after spending the last two weeks self-isolated at home. Her spokesperson Steffan Seibert said that she will continue to observe social distancing rules while leading the country via video and audio conferencing. 

The 65-year-old Chancellor has spent the past 14 days at her flat in Berlin’s museum district. She went into quarantine after learning on March 22 that a doctor, from whom she had received a vaccination, had tested positive for coronavirus. 

Over the past two weeks, Merkel has been tested for coronavirus several times, while continuing to work and hold government meetings via video link. All of her tests came back negative. 

Germans impressed with Chancellor’s coronavirus response

The chancellor’s popularity has soared, thanks to her calm and measured response to the coronavirus outbreak. An opinion poll published by ARD on Thursday gave her a 64 percent satisfaction rating - her highest since the federal elections in 2017. 

As of Friday afternoon, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany had risen to more than 85.000, with 1.111 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University.