German president in quarantine after bodyguard tests positive for COVID-19

BERLIN - German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier entered quarantine Saturday after one of his bodyguards tested positive for COVID-19, according to a spokeswoman for the president's office.

Steinmeier's first test was negative. Further tests are planned in the coming days.

Germany on Saturday recorded 7,830 new infections of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the highest daily spike since the pandemic began, according to the Robert Koch Institute, Germany's state disease control and prevention agency.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas went into quarantine in September after one of his bodyguards had caught COVID-19. Maas later tested negative for the disease.

In March, German Chancellor Angela Merkel self-quarantined for two weeks after meeting with an infected doctor. She later tested negative.