Italy orders military to help remove bodies of the deceased

The army has been called in to remove bodies from a town in northern Italy which is at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak, as the surge in deaths has left funeral services overwhelmed. The government has announced that it’s prepared to prolong emergency lock down measures across the country.

Locals in Bergamo, a town northeast of Milan, captured videos of military trucks driving through the streets overnight and removing coffins from the town’s cemetery. The local newspaper, Eco di Bergamo also published photographs of the ghastly sight.

A spokesman for the Italian military confirmed on Thursday that 15 trucks and 50 soldiers had been deployed there for the purpose of removing bodies as well as in other neighbouring provinces. The decision came after local authorities in Bergamo requested help with cremations after their crematoriums were unable to keep up.

Coronavirus deaths in Italy catapulted on Wednesday as the total rose by 475 to almost 3,000. The city of Bergamo now has 300 deaths alone. Bergamo is located in the province of Lombardy, the region that has been worst-hit by the virus with over 4,000 cases.

Italy was the first country in Europe to enter into virtual lock down but cases are still on the rise. The government is considering even tougher measures, such as restricting the amount of outdoor movement currently allowed.

The current measures have ordered shops to remain closed until at least March 25 and schools remain shutdown until April 3 at the earliest. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was quoted in a local paper saying the government was prepared to extend the deadline on current emergency measures, however Conte did not say how long the measures would be prolonged.

The tougher measures are needed because people are not respecting the orders to stay home according to Italian officials, resulting in thousands more being infected.

Giacomo Angeloni, a Bergamo official in charge of cemeteries, said that crematoriums have been working relentlessly, processing up to 24 bodies a day which is approximately double what the normal amount would be and they were still unable to keep up. The crematorium church pews have even had to be removed to make room to lay out scores of coffins and still there is a shortage of storage space.

Attilio Fontana, governor of Lombardy stressed the toll this has taken on doctors and nurses in the region’s hospitals. “I’m worried about the possibility they could succumb physically and psychologically because if they were to succumb, it would really be a disaster,” Angeloni told Radio Capital.