Eight weeks ago, the world ground to a halt in Gütersloh. The summer holidays were about to begin in the Westphalia region when a fifth of the 6,500 workers at a local meat plant, Germany`s largest, tested positive for the virus. With echoes of recent developments in Kildare, Offaly and Laois, a massive Covid-19 outbreak at the Tönnies facility forced the entire region into lockdown. For the 370,000 people who live here, that meant holiday plans evaporated. All gatherings were cancelled, bars and restaurants closed again and long queues formed at testing centres. As teams fanned out to test workers and families, up to 14,000 people were placed in quarantine and provided with food and...
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