Growing nervousness in Germany about B117, the variant of coronavirus first discovered in Britain, has led to four blocks of flats being placed under police surveillance in the western city of Hamm.
A man who was tested positive with coronavirus was found to be infected with the more infectious variant, which has now spread across all 16 German states. A week ago, the B117 variant was said to be responsible for around six per cent of coronavirus infections in Germany, according to the government disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute, a figure which was expected to rise.
The 145 inhabitants of the blocks of flats are undergoing tests, having been placed under immediate quarantine on Monday night, authorities said. It was the first known case of the mutation in Hamm, a city of 180,000 inhabitants.
The man was said to be a Bulgarian citizen, who worked on a building site in the city. Five of his close contacts were also found to be positive, but it was as yet unclear if they also had the B117 variant.
Four mobile testing teams were dispatched to the blocks of flats in the west and north of the city on Monday night. Most of the inhabitants who must remain in quarantine for 14 days, are believed to be Bulgarian. Police are to guard the blocks around the clock to ensure none of the inhabitants break the quarantine.
The mayor, Marc Herter, told the regional newspaper, the Westfälischer Anzeiger, authorities had no choice but to be on high alert to stop the variant from spreading.
The British mutation of the coronavirus is highly infectious, and in order to prevent its spread, these measures were absolutely the order of the day. It happened in the interest of all the citizens of Hamm, as well as of those persons directly affected.
The British variant, along with the so-called South African and Brazilian variants, are said by epidemiologists to be spreading fast in Germany, though B117 is spreading the fastest.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said last week she believed these three mutations were responsible for 20 per cent of new infections and has argued that uncertainty about their effect on the virus’ development meant current lockdown measures should remain in place.