A meat factory in Germany has been forced to close after more than 1,300 workers have tested positive for coronavirus.
The coronavirus R rate soared by 60% in just one day and the reproduction rate has hit 2.88 on Monday, from 1.79 on Sunday.
With the R rate being 2.88 this means that for every 100 people who come into contact with the virus, 288 people will most likely contract coronavirus.
The Robert Koch Institute for public health (RKI) released the new R rate figures, and it is very likely there will be an increase amongst the German population.
One of Germany’s largest meat factories, Tönnies stopped slaughtering last Wednesday after the outbreak was confirmed.
Last week over 1,000 workers were tested and there was 657 people infected with the virus.
The outbreak at the Rheda-Wiedenbrück meat processing plant, in the district of Gütersloh near Bielefeld is operated by Tönnies.
German Labour Minister Hubertus Heil has demanded that the company should pay for damages.
Heil told Bild, “There must be a civil liability of the company,” and Tönnies had taken the “entire region hostage” as they have violated the rules.
The workers at the meat factory are mainly Romanian and Bulgarian and the 6,500 workers live in cramped company provided accommodation, and are all now under quarantine.
This has sparked fears for the wider community and German authorities have ordered all schools to close in the area.
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