July 22, 2020

German poultry slaughterhouse Lohne continues operations after COVID-19 outbreak

The Vechta local government authority said Lohne's chicken slaughterhouse in north Germany will continue to operate even after 66 of its 1,200 workers tested positive for COVID-19, Reuters reported.

Authorities said the source of the COVID-19 spread came from workers disregarding social distancing measures during breaks, so the plant will remain in operation as investigations continue.

The German meatpacking industry has been under the spotlight after a number of COVID-19 outbreaks have been reported at slaughterhouses.

On July 16, the Toennies abattoir in west Germany was allowed to resume operations after it was closed in mid-June when 1,500 workers at the facility were discovered to be infected with COVID-19. The closure of the plant resulted in a lockdown surrounding Guetersloh region, where 600,000 people were affected.

-          Reuters