Vion N.V. one of the largest meat packing companies in Holland has closed a plant in Groenlo adjacent to the border with Germany as a result of COVID-19 infection among workers. A problem relating to the outbreak is that many of the workers commute daily from Germany resulting in testing and quarantine requiring interaction between two national jurisdictions. To date 79 German workers and 68 Dutch workers have tested positive for COVID-19 out of 657 in the plant with many yet to be examined.
In commenting on the outbreak, CEO John Klijn noted "meat processing is labor intensive, and requires a large number of people". He added "the sector is extremely vulnerable because 80 percent of the workforce are migrant workers who live together and travel to work in small buses. If you then spend the day in a place where social distancing is not possible, you are asking for problems".
This is the second outbreak effecting Vion with a previous shutdown at a plant in Scherpenzeel. This incident required immigrant workers for Eastern Europe to be quarantined on a river boat. Vion employs 13,000 workers with more than half comprising immigrant labor.
The Netherlands has reported 45,250 cases of COVID-19 infection and 5,800 deaths since the advent of the epidemic.