The number of people who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in Germany rose to 150 on Monday, up from 129 on Sunday.
Among the new confirmed cases there’s one BMW employee from the automaker’s Research and Innovation Center (FIZ) in Munich. According to Automobilwoche, the man tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus which causes the coronavirus disease, known as COVID-19.
A BMW spokeswoman confirmed the news on Monday and said the employee was not traveling. She said the man went to the doctor on Sunday and is now in the hospital. He is doing well, considering the circumstances, the spokeswoman added.
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BMW Research And Innovation Center (FIZ)
Around 150 employees at the German automaker’s R&D center who were in contact with him are now at home in quarantine for two weeks, the period the virus is believed to be incubating. The representative also said the open-plan offices are being disinfected. While this is definitely a worrying development, BMW said it will continue operations without applying any restrictions.
The new coronavirus outbreak has already caused massive disruptions for other automakers’ operations in Asia. Most recently, Hyundai shut down a factory in Ulsan, South Korea on February 28 after one worker was found positive for coronavirus. In China, many factories closed or reduced their output, with car sales plummeting in the world’s largest automobile market because of the new coronavirus epidemic. Furthermore, major auto shows like Geneva and Beijing have been cancelled from the same cause.
In Germany, the Robert Koch Institute for disease control said the risk from the virus is now “moderate”. Reuters reports that more than half of the 150 cases, 86, are in the western region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state.
