China News Service, June 25, according to the BBC's Chinese website reported on the 24th, after the number of new coronavirus infections rose again, the North Rhine-Westphalia authorities in Germany re-implemented the blockade order in two regions. More than 500,000 people are affected. One of these areas is the location of a meat processing plant, where more than 1,500 workers tested positive.
Infection of workers in meat processing factories has also occurred in Britain, France, Spain and the United States. The British Union has repeatedly warned that the new coronary pneumonia disease may again occur in meat processing plants.
Will meat spread viruses?
The new coronavirus is spread through aerosols, and those who carry the original may cough, sneeze, or even breathe and speak, possibly releasing droplets or particles containing the virus into the air. Healthy people will be infected with the virus if they come in close contact with the carrier or touch the surface of an infected object.
At present, there is no evidence that the new coronavirus originated from the meat product itself in the mass infection in the meat processing plant. The British Food Standards Agency said that the possibility of contracting new coronavirus because of eating something is very low, because the known route of transmission of new coronavirus is not.
On May 15, most regions in Germany allowed restaurants and cafes to operate dine-in business. The picture shows the MAREDO steak chain that was closed on Friedrichstrasse in Berlin that day. This enterprise has filed for bankruptcy during the epidemic. China News Service reporter Peng Dawei
Why is it a meat processing factory?
Lawrence Young, professor of molecular oncology at the University of Warwick, said that the indoor space of the meat factory is cold and humid, which is an ideal environment for the survival and spread of the new coronavirus. "In such an environment, the virus particles released by the carrier are easier to spread and survive."
Another possible reason is that the environmental noise of these low-temperature factories is high, and workers need to talk at a louder volume, or even shout loudly, which also increases the chance of infection.
Meat processing factory workers are busy working on the production line, and it is difficult to maintain a distance of two meters. The lack of sunlight in the factory's indoor environment is also the reason for the virus's easy survival.
But the problem is not just the internal environment of the factory.
Group dormitory is prone to outbreak and group infection
Michael Head, a global health research scholar at Annampton University, said that some meat processing factories have factory dormitories or staff dormitories nearby.
These workers may collectively take a bus to the factory, and then spend the whole day indoors together, and finally return to the dormitory. Once there is a loophole in this process, it is more likely that an outbreak will occur.
The British Union said that many factories employ migrant workers. Migrant workers may not have paid sick leave. If they show symptoms, they will be isolated and have no income. Some immigrant workers do not speak English or other local languages. They are worried about losing their jobs, so they may be reluctant to reflect on working conditions.
But the British Meat Processing Association said that their member factories employ full-time employees rather than outsourced workers sent by labor agencies.
Multinational countries strengthen anti-epidemic measures
The British government issued safe working rules for food manufacturing, including requiring employees to maintain a distance of two meters if possible.
The British Meat Processing Association has also issued its own rules, requiring factories to increase the frequency of cleaning and disinfection, arrange different working hours, and make good isolation measures. The association also recommended that the factory provide additional personal protective equipment, such as transparent masks. Workers in meat processing factories usually wear protective clothing, but not necessarily masks.
The German government has banned the employment of outsourced employees in slaughterhouses. All workers must be directly hired by the company.
The report of the US Centers for Disease Control also suggested slowing down production, setting up isolation screens between workers, everyone wearing masks, and self-isolation workers with compensation.