Berlin, Dec 18 (AP) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19, and the government said a visit by Slovakia's new prime minister had to be canceled as a result.

Scholz wrote on social media platform X that “with few symptoms, I am counting on a mild case.”

Also Read | At Least 110 People, Including Women and Children, Killed in Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza.

Spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said the chancellor was in his office and communicating by phone and videoconference but would not perform any public duties on Monday and Tuesday.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was scheduled to meet Scholz in Berlin on Tuesday, and the visit had to be canceled, Hebestreit said.

Also Read | Berlin Zoo Sends First Giant Pandas Pit and Paule Born in Germany to China (Watch Video).

It is not yet clear whether Scholz will be able to lead a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday in person, he added.

Scholz, who is 65, received a COVID-19 booster shot this year, Hebestreit said. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)