Close again? Around Europe, local pandemic explosions

When the newspaper “The York Times” has ever written about Gütersloh, that's all he did when it came to the world's famous Bertelsmann foundation, which is central to this city. But due to the outbreak of pandemic at the slaughter of Tönnies, Gütersloh was introduced to the headlines of international media. Out of the 7,000 tested employees, 1550 have tested positively with the virus. There have been several new blast sites in other German regions. In Neukölln, Berlin, after increasing infections, 370 families were quarantined. In Göttingen, 120 infected people isolated a palace complex.

Local Blasts Everywhere

Such cases of new pandemic explosion, known as “Cluster”, are available throughout Europe, now that restrictive measures are being released in many countries. Often within families, in gastronomy or firm. In England, 158 people were tested positively with the virus in Anglesey. Other factories in England have had such occasions. In a nursing home in Austria in the first two weeks of June, several residents changed their lives after an infection with Corona. In Vienna and lower Austria, 70 package service employees tested positively with the virus. Israel is also afraid of a second wave of infection after the immediate release of measures in May. 200 schools from 500 across the country have been closed.

Peter Klimek of Vienna Medical University, part of the Austrian government's advisory team, says that in frequent cases of increasing infections, the type of hearth of infection plays a role. If we're dealing with small, infected groups, then that's not very disturbing, because we can follow the chain of contacts.” But the work changes, when there's a pandemic explosion after a big event. “If after great activity a hearth of infection, bleaching and tracking the chain of contacts is much more difficult. ”

So there's a difference, if the cases come from a single hearth, Klimek says. If we have 50 cases of infection that each, regardless of the other in different parts of the country, go to the doctor with symptoms.” If in a short time some spaces appear, where contacts can no longer be followed, it may be enough to re-enter a place in the restrictive measures of “lockdown”.

More Important Measures

According to Klimek, in cases of local explosions matter four major measures: Case identification, contact tracking, testing and treatment. Infected contacts should be followed quickly, isolated from the infected, treated, and tested in the environment of the infected, according to the expert.

But not everywhere are these four steps to success. In Bulgaria, for example, the government was forced after increasing infections to restore its obligation to the mask after it was removed in mid-June. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also warned the population because of increasing infection. If we don't change our behavior immediately towards wearing the mask and the distance, then our will we will return to the closing state.” In Luxembourg, the government tries massive tests to prevent a second wave of infection. The 600,000 inhabitants of the country and 300,000 who cross the border temporarily must be tested regularly to identify the chains of infection.

There's no set of measures to protect you from pandemic. There's a mix of different measures, says expert Klimek: distance preservation, hygiene regulations, disability. It is now known that the closure of schools and gastronomy has had an effect of slowing the pandemic. That's where they do their masks. The earlier the measures are implemented, the more effective they are, says Peter Klimek. / DW/