Coronavirus cases have been reported at slaughterhouses in Austria, after outbreaks at meat-processing plants in Germany. The German interior minister is advocating for free COVID-19 testing. Coronavirus cases have been reported at three meat-processing facilities in Austria, two of which are near the German border.
In total, 12 employees have tested positive for COVID-19, the crisis team of the federal state of Upper Austria confirmed to the APA news agency. Austrian media have also reported the infections.
At a slaughterhouse in the district of Ried im Innkreis, near the border with Germany, there have been seven confirmed cases, while in the district of Braunau there were two. An additional three have been reported in Wels-Land, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) southeast of Ried.
More tests were being carried out on other employees and these figures may rise.
The meat industry has become synonymous with the coronavirus in recent weeks after Tönnies in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, had more than 1,500 employees test positive.
A lot of criticism has been aimed at the slaughterhouse firm as a result, particularly over poor working environments for employees, as well as bad conditions for the animals. – Deutsche Welle
