COVID-19 | Germany testing 450 residents of apartment complex after two infected families break quarantine

It wasn’t clear whether other residents had been aware the families were supposed to be in quarantine.

Employees from the Health Department and the German Red Cross are waiting at the tents, in front of a residential complex, to carry out corona tests in Grevenbroich, Germany, Sunday, April 26, 2020. Because two families have left their quarantine in the complex despite corona infections, the residents of the 117 apartments are to be tested. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)

Authorities are testing the 450 residents of an apartment complex in a German town because two families infected with the new coronavirus failed to follow quarantine rules.

Residents of the 117-apartment complex in Grevenbroich in western Germany were being tested Sunday.

Authorities fenced off the grounds over the weekend and security was put in place to ensure residents only leave once test results are completed. The results are expected Tuesday.

The local government said the tests were triggered after authorities determined that eight people from two families who had tested positive had continued to see neighbors and been outside the building.

It wasn’t clear whether other residents had been aware the families were supposed to be in quarantine.

The families themselves were taken to another location where officials could ensure that they kept to their quarantine.

The tests are voluntary but authorities can order anyone who refuses to undergo one to remain in quarantine for 14 days.