THE WORST COVID-19 OUTBREAK IN GERMANY

By Colin Copcea

Germany was one of the first countries in the world to relax the lockdown caused by the coronavirus. However, things did not go exactly as planned and now in Germany there is one of the greatest Covid-19 outbreaks in Europe. This article will seek to discuss the following things: a brief summary of what happened, how this has affected Germany and the surrounding regions and how we can take an example from what happened.

Germany was doing well, compared to other nations of its size in Europe, with many establishments opening in May: museums, bars and restaurants among them. However, on 22nd June, the Gütersloh region of the country saw an outburst of the virus, with 2000 new Coronavirus cases. They are linked to the Tönnies processing factory and slaughterhouse, with 7000 workers. They were mostly Romanians, Bulgarians and Poles who had come in search of work.

Social distancing was not in place at the accommodation, with up to 16 people living in one tiny room, where health conditions were unacceptable. The head of the Green Party in this area stated, “I saw the canteen and I saw the cutting belts. Even on 15th May people were working normally.” Footage has been shown revealing workers working very close to each other, not wearing any masks or visors.

This didn’t help in containing the killer virus. However, cold temperatures and an insufficient air filtration system are believed to be what caused the pathogen to spread.

Fortunately, this incident hasn’t had an impact on the rest of Germany. However, travel to this region has been prohibited by the government. 2000 workers in the nearby village of Verl have been fenced off from the outside world. They are not to leave for at least a week and volunteers are giving them food over the fence. Away from their families, in precarious health and with no source of income, these workers are definitely in a vulnerable position.

The UK can definitely study Germany in forming its own Covid-19 procedure. We have rules here, such as wearing masks in TFL services and keeping a distance of 1 metre+, especially on beaches. However, these rules are not always being followed, with police having to go undercover to fine people on TFL services ad beaches being packed with ½ million visitors in Dorset on 26th June 2020, forcing police to disperse the crowds. In addition, social distancing inside some workplaces is not possible, especially a large factory. While the economy needs to become stable again in the United Kingdom, is it worth the risk? Recently, Leicester has seen a spike in the number of new Covid-19 cases, leading the home secretary, Priti Patel, placing the city in local lockdown.

In conclusion, the Germany outbreak has disrupted life in North East Germany, forced communities to go into quarantine behind fences and it has also shown the world that a second wave is possible and that it could be worse than the first.