Coronavirus: Funerals taking place every half hour in Italian city Bergamo which saw 146 deaths in a week
After the death of 146 people within a week due to coronavirus in Bergamo, Lombardy, the town is holding a funeral every 30 minutes. The mortuary at the local hospital is at full capacity and bodies are being held at the church while awaiting burial.
The worst-hit country at this point in Europe is Italy, where the number of deaths has climbed past 1,400 and people who have tested positive have risen to more than 21,000.
According to a report in Daily Mail, the worst-hit region in Italy is the northern region of Lombardy that also includes Milan.
Bergamo, one of the picturesque towns in Italy, is also one of the regions affected hardest by the virus. "We are facing an emergency there is no doubting that. We are having a burial every half an hour. We had 18 on Saturday, 44 over Sunday and Monday, 33 on Tuesday and 51 on Wednesday. We've had to close Bergamo cemetery for the time being to cope," said Giacomo Angeloni, the councilor in charge of cemeteries in Bergamo.
He also added, "We are using churches as temporary mortuaries. I have to thank my staff for what they are doing in the face of this tragedy. Certainly, we never imagined having to deal with an emergency on this level."
On Saturday, Italy reported the biggest day-to-day jump in cases of the virus.
In the meanwhile, Spain is also working through tough times because of COVID-19. Begona Gomez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been tested positive for the virus. The ministers of equality and of regional affairs from Sanchez's cabinet -- Irene Montero and Carolina Darias -- were also tested positive for the virus as well. According to reports, Spanish authorities have confirmed that the infections in the country have climbed past 5,700 with half of them present in the country's capital Madrid.