RENNES (France), May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 100 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus at a slaughterhouse in western France, the regional health authorities said.
The cases follow coronavirus outbreaks at meat plants not only in France but also in Germany, Spain, Australia, the United States and Brazil — where people tend to work in close proximity.
A total of 109 personnel have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, at a slaughterhouse in Cotes d’Armor following a second wave of testing, the ARS regional health authority said in a statement.
Some 818 people have been tested at the plant, it added.
Those diagnosed as having the disease are being contacted by employee insurance firms that have identified all their contacts at risk of catching the illness, requiring them to respect two-week quarantines, take tests and wear masks, the ARS said.
Plant operator Kermene, according to its website, said it supplies E.Leclerc supermarkets with meat and meat products.
Meanwhile, there is no sign yet that France’s easing of a lockdown to combat the coronavirus has boosted the epidemic, the health minister said in PARIS, as the latest figures showed daily deaths trending lower.
France on May 11 eased its almost two-month lockdown in a bid to revive an economy clobbered by the epidemic.
Health Minister Oliver Veran warned that it was too early to assess the impact of the easing. But he added there was so far no sign that the virus was regaining impetus.
“It takes at least 10 to 15 days for us to know if there is an impact on the epidemic,” he told reporters after a cabinet meeting, while noting that the numbers in hospitals and intensive care were continuing to fall.
“So we are not seeing a revival in the circulation of the virus, but that does not mean that the virus is not circulating,” he added.
Adding to the cautious message as many in France prepare for a long weekend to mark Ascension, President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter: “The epidemic is not behind us. We will not slow down in our efforts.”
According to the latest health ministry figures, 110 more deaths were recorded over the last 24 hours in hospitals and nursing homes, lifting France’s total death toll from the epidemic to 28,132.
The total number of people in intensive care — a number that soared to over 7,000 at the peak of the crisis — fell to 1,794, down 100 from the previous day.
