A state in Germany has reimposed COVID-19 lockdown after a series of coronavirus cases emerged in Rheda-Wiedenbr¨¹ck meat processing plant -- one of the largest in Europe.
Reported first by Reuters, the state in question is North Rhine-Westphalia. Over 1,500 workers were found to be infected with the novel coronavirus over the weekend. This caused the nation¡¯s rate of reproduction of the virus to skyrocket from 1.06 to a whopping 2.88.??
Several thousand people have also been kept under quarantine to prevent further spreading of the novel coronavirus. Reports reveal that authorities have installed metal fencing around residential buildings where workers from the facility reside. Basic necessity items are being provided by the authorities to more than 7,000 employees.
Stricter social distancing norms have come back into place. Authorities are asking Guetersloh county¡¯s roughly 300,000 residents to only have one person from their household to step out at a time, only for necessities.?
Schools are shut once again. Authorities have also announced shutting down of cinemas, fitness centres and bars. Restaurants are however allowed to sell food as takeaway only.?
Armin Laschet, the governor of North Rhine-Westphalia state, said in a statement, assuring citizens, ¡°This is a limited measure of caution. We will lift the measure as soon as possible when we have certainty about the safety of the infection. It is a preventative measure."
Germany was one of the first nations to unlock after seeing a drop in number of infection in April. However, in May itself Germany saw a spike in the number of cases which made the authorities to reconsider imposing lockdown for its citizens.?
What¡¯s astonishing is that this isn¡¯t the only outbreak caused due to meat processing plants. Such outbreaks are being witnessed in the US as well as UK.?
There is no specific reason for this occurrence for now, some linking it to lack of social distancing norms while some are linking it to poor employment conditions, but nothing is certain. Industry representatives in the UK (in a conversation with the Independent) have regarded this a ¡®mystery¡¯.
Nations combatting COVID-19 that have managed to lower the rate of infection and have stopped lockdown are in constant fear of a ¡®Second Wave¡¯ of COVID-19 cases.?
And some places have also experienced this second wave. Beijing saw a steep spike in number of cases at a meat market too. Within a month after unlock, South Korea too saw a sudden rise in number of cases, causing a shutdown of over 2,100 bars and places of gathering.?
Researchers have stated that the second wave of an epidemic can be more catastrophic than the first.?
However, in the case of COVID-19, researchers from Barcelona Institute For Global Health claim that the ¡®deconfinement must be gradual in order to decrease the risk of second waves¡¯ while also maintaining social distancing, wearing face masks which could considerably help in containing the second wave from occurring.?