Not all is well with Germany & #COVID19. Here is the governor of the German region where I live (NRW), blaming a recent outbreak on "Romanians and Bulgarians" working in a slaughterhouse https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤦‍♂️" title="Mann schlägt sich die Hand vors Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Mann schlägt sich die Hand vors Gesicht"> https://twitter.com/georgrestle/status/1273363049752264704">https://twitter.com/georgrest...

This is misleading for several reasons. First of all Bulgaria and Romania have mostly fared better than Germany through the crisis https://ig.ft.com/coronavirus-chart/?areas=rou&areas=deu&areas=bgr&areasRegional=usny&areasRegional=usnj&cumulative=0&logScale=1&perMillion=1&values=deaths">https://ig.ft.com/coronavir...

Second the blame should be put on the well-known exploitative conditions in the German (cheap) meat industry, where foreign workers live in overcrowded conditions "like modern slaves" https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/22/exploitative-conditions-germany-to-reform-meat-industry-after-spate-of-covid-19-cases">https://www.theguardian.com/environme...

Also, we know from polls that the German public overrates their country& #39;s #COVID19 performance, while underrating that of other countries (see thread below). In this context, I worry that any resurgence will be framed as & #39;foreigner& #39;s fault& #39; https://twitter.com/giulio_mattioli/status/1272444913632915456">https://twitter.com/giulio_ma...

It certainly gives plenty of scope to dog-whistle politics. (ends)

PS: if anything, there is evidence that this arrangement with seasonal workers played a role in spreading the virus from Germany to Romania https://www.rferl.org/a/romanian-migrants-get-covid-19-as-pandemic-exposes-bad-conditions-for-east-european-workers/30643195.html">https://www.rferl.org/a/romania...

PS2: NRW& #39;s Governor Laschet could well become Angela Merkel& #39;s successor at the helm of the CDU and the country& #39;s