An outbreak of coronavirus at slaughterhouse in southeast Germany has sickened roughly 200 Romanians, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.
The Romanians were working at an abattoir in Birkenfeld near the town of Pforzheim. Some 500 of the 700 employees at the facility are Romanian citizens, and were sub-contracted to work there.
Romania’s embassy in Berlin and the consulate in Stuttgart are investigating the situation. The embassy has contacted the German agriculture and labor ministries, and local authorities.
Germany has reported 159,000 cases of coronavirus and 6,129 deaths.
According to reports, the workers are employed by companies that are subcontracted by the German abattoir.
German authorities say that a total of 300 slaughterhouse workers at the facility are infected and have been placed in quarantine. There were no reports of deaths.
The foreign ministry said most of Romanians are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. It said five needed hospitalization, and two had been discharged.
Romania’s foreign ministry recommends Romanian citizens who are abroad, and find themselves in a difficult situation, to contact the nearest diplomatic mission.
