The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia has imposed a new lockdown in the area around a meat factory hit by a coronavirus outbreak.
The district where the Toennies meat processing plant is located -- and the scene of a Covid-19 cluster that has sickened some 1,553 workers -- will return to lockdown measures, the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westfalia announced Tuesday.
Armin Laschet said the restrictions in Guetersloh would be valid for a week until June 30 and would be similar to the lockdown measures introduced in March.
The outbreak in the meatpacking plant has been linked to a spike in Germany's overall coronavirus reproduction rate by the country’s public health body.
The cluster prompted the closure of daycare centers and schools in the region, and the army was deployed to aid testing efforts.
The lockdown measures will include no group contact, and all restaurants, pubs, bars, swimming pools and fitness studios will be closed.
Meanwhile, the district of Guetersloh is trying to improve communication with the workers at Toennies and has called for volunteer translators. Officials have said that the workers being tested are mostly from Romania, Bulgaria and Poland, and on Tuesday, the district announced it is looking for 150 translators until the end of September.