BERLIN — Authorities in the western German region of Guetersloh have ordered the closure of all schools and childcare centers after hundreds of workers at Germany’s biggest slaughterhouse tested positive for COVID-19.
Regional daily Westfalen-Blatt reported Wednesday that some 475 people tested positive for the new coronavirus, adding to 128 cases already known. A further 400 test results were still pending.
The outbreak at the Toennies slaughterhouse in Rheda-Wiedenbrueck has pushed the number of cases in the region far above the government’s threshold for emergency measures, which is set at 50 new infections in a week per 100,000 inhabitants.
Officials planned to announce later Wednesday whether further measures will be taken, such as closing stores and restaurants, to contain the outbreak.
Westfalen-Blatt reported that officials believe some of the cases were imported from other countries by migrant workers who took advantage of newly reopened European borders to visit their families.
