Six hundred employees of the Dutch slaughterhouse group Vion have to remain in home quarantine for two weeks after coronavirus infections were found in 45 employees in the company’s facility in the town of Groenlo.

The move was ordered on Friday by the authorities of the province of Gelderland in the east of the country near the German border where the town is located.

On Friday, 250 employees were to be tested. Dozens of employees had previously been infected in other branches of the Vion Group in Germany.

Chief executive Ronald Lotgerink said the company followed all safety regulations.

“This is a new situation for us due to the spread of the coronavirus in the border region,” Lotgerink said.

The company says it has slaughterhouses in Germany and the Netherlands with a total of 12,000 employees and a turnover of 5.1 billion euros (5.56 billion dollars).

The trade union association FNV said the living conditions of many employees were responsible for the spread of the virus among them.

Migrant workers in particular live close together in group accommodation.

In most cases, employment agencies provide accommodation for migrants, often in Germany. (dpa/NAN)