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GERMAN AUTHORITIES TODAY ordered fresh coronavirus lockdowns in two districts — the first since the easing of restrictions in the country.
The new lockdowns in Guetersloh and neighbouring Warendorf in western Germany came after a coronavirus outbreak at a slaughterhouse that has infected more than 1,500 workers.
“For the first time in Germany, we will return an entire district to the measures that applied several weeks ago,” said Armin Laschet, state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, announcing the measures for Guetersloh.
That lockdown, set to affect 360,000 people, will stay in place until at least 30 June, Laschet said.
North Rhine-Westphalia health minister Karl-Josef Laumann later ordered similar measures for Warendorf, covering a further 278,000 residents.
The outbreak at a slaughterhouse run by the Toennies meat company that employs 7,000 people in Germany’s most populous state is the biggest since the country began lifting virus lockdown measures in early May.
Local authorities across Germany agreed then to pull an “emergency brake” and reimpose social curbs if the infection rate rises above 50 cases per 100,000 residents over a week in a particular district.
The rate in Guetersloh has soared well above that, sitting at 263 cases per 100,000 residents on Monday.
The new lockdown means a return to measures first introduced in March, with cinemas, museums, concert halls, bars, gyms, indoor swimming pools and saunas shut down.
Schools have also been closed ahead of school holidays, which will start this weekend.
New normal
The new lockdowns come as Germany and the rest of the EU begin taking steps towards getting tourism up and running again, with many European borders reopening just last week.
Several Covid-19 outbreaks at slaughterhouses in Germany and France have put a spotlight on working and housing conditions facing the workers – many of whom come from Romania or Bulgaria.
The German government has responded by banning the use of subcontractors in the meat industry.
Toennies, Germany’s largest meat producer by both output and turnover, has announced its own measures to improve conditions, including direct contracts with employees and “sufficient and appropriate” living space.
Company head Clemens Toennies has publicly apologised for the outbreak, saying the company was “fully responsible”.
Germany has also seen new coronavirus clusters in residential buildings in Lower Saxony and in Berlin, where 370 families living in high-rise flats were placed under quarantine in one neighbourhood last week.
Germany became the first major EU country to begin easing virus restrictions about seven weeks ago.
It is now counting on contact tracing – both through human trackers and a new app – to ensure new infections are isolated.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has repeatedly warned against complacency before a viable vaccine is found.
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So as soon as word gets out that a lockdown is coming to a particular area there’ll be a stampede to get out of it before the lockdown. This is exactly what happened in Italy and it spread the virus all over the place.
@Patrick Agnew: The Italians proved the form book to be correct. Let’s see if the Germans do likewise. Interesting sideshow!
@Virus-free Turkey: a complete lockdown like in Italy won’t happen in germany
Serious need to examine the owners of meat factories home and abroad as they focus on profit before safety. If you employ labour groups who crowd into overcrowded accommodation then you have to expect problems. Employers have to accept responsibility for new outbreaks
@Dave Phelan: in this country it won’t happen. We didn’t even shut down any after a massive amount of infections. Mostly the people running them don’t care.
Thank but I have an MSc in the field ,hence qualified to interpret developing academic research on an NCOV that is 6 months old , Discoveries a made daily both positive and negative . Although that is probably outside of your cognitive ability and reasoning.
@Ruairi O Gorman: you were going fine until that last sentence.
@Ruairi O Gorman: how can a guy who claims to be so clever not be able to post properly under my comment? And then post it wrong twice? Not very bright at all
@Ruairi O Gorman: This is The Journal’s version of the Rick and Morty copypaste. You can add that achievement to your MSc. Well done…
Latest paper from South Korea ,show worrying developments regarding long term immunity from SARS-COV-2. Given Irish culture and our climate I think we are going to have a rough few months or years ahead. My only optimism is that it mutates into a less virulent strain over time. IFR currently stands at ~ 0.6% or about 6 times worse than seasonal influenza .
@Ruairi O Gorman: my concern with both the optimistic and pessimistic views above is that you are not qualified to make either
@Ruairi O Gorman: Ruairi, have you got a link to that paper ?
@Ruairi O Gorman: that’s all well and good, but you can’t make a lasagna probably.. What woman wants a man who can’t cook
These are local restrictions and it’s the way to go. When I read the names of the cities I thought already about the slaughterhouses. They are hugh over there.
However, I hope the experts over here have pen and paper ready to take notes how these locsl restrictions are done to see if that could work over here if needed.
Thank but I have an MSc in the field ,hence qualified to interpret developing academic research on an NCOV that is 6 months old , Discoveries are made daily both positive and negative . Although that is probably outside of your cognitive ability and reasoning.
@Ruairi O Gorman: tell me again what a high opinion you have of yourself? Its really interesting, as a knuckle dragger I need some information from pretend doctors to get me through the day
@Wheresmyjumper: That’s a bit mean. The man’s shared a valid concern and his info on the Covid IFR seems legit.
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