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A "supercontainer" ( superspreader ), which precipitated infections within a radius of eight meters, acted as a reproductive factor in the coronavirus outbreak in a slaughterhouse in Germany. According to a scientific study that analyzes the causes of the outbreak, in which 2,100 infections were verified , it was a worker at the meat plant in Gütersloh (western Germany).

The reproduction factor was also triggered by the low temperatures of the facilities and the operation of the air conditioning system, together with the physical effort made by the personnel of the place and the lack of ventilation or natural fresh air. The sum of these factors led to the spread of COVID-19 beyond the radius considered regular. The usual physical distance regulations, which contemplate a minimum of 1.5 or up to 3 meters, were insufficient.

The Gütersloh outbreak led to the temporary closure of the slaughterhouse and the imposition of mobility restrictions for the inhabitants of two districts, with a total of 640,000 affected . The reconstruction since the first infection was carried out by a team from the Helmholtz Infection Research Center (HZI), the Hamburg-Eppendorf University Clinic and the Leibniz Institute of Experimental Virology (HPI), according to a statement issued by HZI.

The slaughterhouse in question, ' Tönnies ', reopened a week ago, after installing new filters in the ventilation system and improving the conditions in which its personnel work. The case sparked criticism of the company's owner, Clemens Tönnies, and the authorities of the affected 'Land', North Rhine-Westphalia , the country's most populous state, with 18 million inhabitants, and whose regional government had chosen by a quick de-escalation of restrictions.

There were numerous previous complaints from the union about the working conditions of the workers, external personnel coming mainly from Hungary and Romania, who are often housed in common warehouses without the proper hygienic conditions. The 2,100 contagions verified after analysis of some 7,000 affected corresponded mainly to plant workers or their contact persons.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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