Athens: Europe grappled on Thursday with local spikes in coronavirus infections as the continent’s lockdown restrictions eased, after hundreds of cases were found at one meatpacking plant in Germany and Greece had to impose a total seven-day lockdown on one village.
The developments came even as a new outbreak in Beijing saw a decline in daily cases and Hong Kong Disneyland reopened after a major drop in infections in the Chinese territory.
In western Germany, health officials in Guetersloh on Wednesday said the number of new COVID-19 cases linked to the Toennies slaughterhouse in Rheda-Wiedenbrueck had risen to 657, a significant regional spike for a country that has recorded daily nationwide infections in the low hundreds lately.
It’s no coincidence that the Toennies slaughterhouse has become the next hotspot of coronavirus infections, said Freddy Adjan, the deputy chairman of the NGG union that represents workers in the food and drinks industry.
Greek authorities on Thursday imposed a full lockdown on Echinos, which has a population of around 3,000, in the northeastern province of Xanthi, after a spike in cases and deaths, while the small Balkan nation of Monetenegro reported new infections after weeks of having no positive cases.
In neighbouring Turkey, authorities made wearing masks mandatory in three major cities, including the financial hub of Istanbul and the capital of Ankara, following an increase in confirmed cases since many businesses were allowed to reopen.
In China, an outbreak detected in a wholesale market in the capital last week has infected at least 158 people in the country’s largest resurgence since the initial outbreak was brought under control in March.
The city reported 21 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, down from 31 on Wednesday. City officials said close contacts of market workers, visitors and other connections were being traced to locate all further cases as quickly as possible.
The United States, meanwhile, has been increasing pressure on China’s leaders to reveal what they know about the pandemic. (AP)
