German Chancellor Angela Merkelwas on Sunday in quarantine after meeting a doctor who tested positive for thenovel coronavirus.

News of Merkel's potentialexposure to the virus came after she announced a ban on public gatherings ofmore than two people and further infection control measures.

"The Chancellor has decidedto quarantine herself immediately at home. She will be tested regularly in thecoming days… (and) fulfil her official business from home," spokesmanSteffen Seibert said in a statement.

Merkel had been slated to lead a cabinet meeting Monday to sign off on an 822-billion-euro ($882 billion) slew of measures to support Europe's top economy through the shutdowns of public life designed to slow the infection's spread.

The infected doctor visitedMerkel on Friday to vaccinate her against the pneumococcus bacteria.

It could take some days todetermine whether the 65-year-old chancellor is herself infected as "atest would not yet be fully conclusive," Seibert said.

The city centre is less crowded than usual, but a few Munich residents are still out on Thursday after German Chancellor Angela Merkel once again called on Germans to stay home to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Merkel showed no apparentsymptoms of ill health in Sunday's televised press conference.