As of the end of June, more and more employees in the main plant of the meat company, Tönnies in Rheda-Wiedenbrück with the Coronavirus infected, tried to the district of Gütersloh and the North Rhine-Westphalian state government to rapidly implement countermeasures. Of around 1500 identified infections Rheda had become-Wiedenbrück at the time, within the shortest possible time to the largest-Corona-the Hotspot in Germany. The wide dispersion of the places of residence of the mostly from Eastern Europe Tönnies factory contract workers, a “huge pandemic risk,” warned Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) and was the first and so far the only country chief of a Federal-Länder-agreement according to strict regional restrictions.

Pure Burger

Political correspondent in North Rhine-Westphalia.

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a Little more than one and a half months later, the stock is worth. Other than initially feared, succeeded to the district of Gütersloh relatively quickly, the infection under control happen. Until the beginning of August, the authorities registered approximately 2100 Corona-infections attributable to the major outbreak in the meat factory; 1712 alone in the district of Gütersloh.

Overall, the range recorded since the beginning of the pandemic so far, about 2700 laboratory-confirmed coronavirus infections, you 2617 apply according to the current state as recovered and 58 as still infected, 55 are in home quarantine. A circle spokesman stresses, however: “Even if it may look from the outside as if the crisis is not over in Gütersloh, which is not so.” Still, the crisis staff of the authority to be convened, still the district administration was in a state of emergency.

Moderate disease courses

off Relatively lightly, presented so far, the disease progressions, the vast majority of the Infected were reported to have no symptoms perceived. According to information from the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of health had to be dealt with until the beginning of August, in the case of Tönnies 43 people in the hospital. Seriously 27 men and women were taken ill, therefore so far. Two of the in the case of Tönnies Patients suffered therefore a pneumonia (lung inflammation), six of a a severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), 19 complained about an unpleasant, difficult breathing (dyspnea). Deaths there have been in connection with the case of Tönnies. Since the beginning of the pandemic up to 20 persons died in the district of Gütersloh in or with the Virus.