POLITICIAN TAKES HEAT FOR COMMENTS ON MIGRANTS

The favourite to succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor has come under fire after he appeared to blame migrant workers from Romania and Bulgaria for a coronavirus outbreak. Fears are growing after an outbreak among pig slaughterhouse workers contributed to the largest daily increase in infections in almost a month, with 770 cases on Thursday alone. Armin Laschet, the chief minister of North Rhine-westphalia, dismissed concerns the outbreak was caused by his decision to lift the state’s lockdown. “It’s got nothing to do with it,” Laschet said. “Romanians and Bulgarians entered the country and the virus has come from there.” After his remarks were seized on by rivals, he backtracked. “It is forbidden to blame people of any origin for the virus,” he said.