BREAKING NEWS: Thousands Forced into Lockdown as Coronavirus Ravages German Town

German authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia have had to reintroduce lockdown measures after a coronavirus outbreak linked to a meatpacking plant has resurfaced.

More than 1,500 employees of the Tönnies plant have now tested positive and thousands of residents in the local area are now back in lockdown with no social contact allowed.

State premier Armin Laschet said the “preventative measures” in Gütersloh district, home to about 360,000 people, would last until at least 30 June.

It is the first such move since Germany began lifting its lockdown. It has been praised for its response to the crisis. However, concerns are that the infections, in one of Germanys largest towns, are rising again at an alarming rate.