Slaughterhouse virus outbreak crosses border

A coronavirus outbreak linked to a slaughterhouse in the Netherlands has spread across the border to neighbouring Germany.

Dutch regional health authorities said on Monday that tests showed 147 of the 657 employees at a meat processing plant in Groenlo were positive for COVID-19.

They said 79 of those infected live in Germany, while 68 are resident in the Netherlands.

There have been several clusters of COVID-19 among slaughterhouse workers in Germany in recent weeks, prompting a government pledge to crack down on conditions in the industry.

A meat processing plant near Pforzheim, Germany, was also among those affected plants.

"As of today, a total of 399 employees were infected. However, as of today, 382 of them have already recovered.", Enzkreis county commissioner Bastian Rosenau said.

Many workers in German abattoirs are migrants from Eastern Europe employed by subcontractors.

They often live in shared housing and are transported to and from the slaughterhouses by shuttle bus, increasing the likelihood of infection.