Loved ones bury Covid-19 victims at funerals attended by few
Social distancing imposed by most countries means burials are only attended by one or two family members. As patients with Covid-19 are treated in total isolation at hospitals, many of them die without a chance to say goodbye to family and friends.
A municipal worker in Ahmedabad, India sprays disinfectant solution inside a grave before the burial of a woman who died of Covid-19 on March 28, 2020.
The coronavirus disease has killed more than 43,000 people (and counting) across the world as the fast-spreading virus has infected more than 870,000 so far. Doctors say death is painful for most people, hooked up to ventilators as they struggle to breathe.
Closure seems even further with these deaths as most families and loved ones of the victims do not get a chance to exchange parting words or embraces. There are no funerals to plan or proper burial ceremonies as many countries impose strict restrictions on these in fear of spreading the disease.
As dying becomes an ever lonelier affair, we bring you the final rites, in pictures.
Monumental cemetery of Bergamo, Lombardy in Italy. March 16, 2020.
An undertaker wearing a face mask and overalls unloads a coffin out of a hearse at the Monumental cemetery of Bergamo, Lombardy,
Burials of people who died of the new coronavirus are being conducted at the rhythm of one every half hour.
Pondok Ranggon Cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The funerals of those who lost their lives due to Covid-19 are conducted in Pondok Ranggon Cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia.
At the hospital, the bodies are first wrapped in plastic to make sure there is be no leakage of fluids which could spread the virus.
They are then placed in wooden coffins, which are also wrapped in plastic.
Vila Formosa cemetery, Sao Paulo, Brazil. March 31, 2020.
Employees bury a person who is suspected to have died of Covid-19 at the Vila Formosa cemetery, in the outskirts of Sao Paulo in Brazil.
Vila Formosa cemetery, the largest in Latin America with an area of 780,000 square metres and in which more than 1.5 million people were buried, has seen a 30 percent increase in the number of burials since the pandemic began.
Pierrette cemetery in Bethune, France. March 27, 2020.
Members of the Charitable Brotherhood of Saint-Eloi de Bethune bury a Covid-19 victim at Pierrette cemetery in Bethune, France wearing masks and gloves as they lower the coffin.
Fuencarral cemetery, Madrid, Spain. March 29, 2020.
In Madrid, Spain, mortuary employees bury a coronavirus victim at the Fuencarral cemetery.
Many people working at graveyards are taking extra precautions during burials, such as disposable layers over their clothes, to prevent any transmission.
Marrakech, Morocco. March 25, 2020.
Men in protective gear bury a victim of the coronavirus disease in the Moroccan city of Marrakech.
In Morocco, traditional burial practices have been suspended. The number of relatives who can attend burials has been restricted.
Locals say burial prayers are now offered in the cemetery as the mosques are closed as part of coronavirus social distancing measures.
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