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Coronavirus: Widow seen crying on balcony as she is stranded with husband's corpse at home for 48 hours

His widow has not been able to leave her home due to 'quarantine restrictions' as protocol dictates no one is allowed to approach the body

BY KUNAL DEY

UPDATED MAR 19, 2020

One of the main roads of the Brera neighborhood in the city center is seen empty on February 26, 2020, in Milan, Italy. (Getty Images)

A widow in Italy has been stranded at home with her husband's corpse for two days after being quarantined over his coronavirus diagnosis.

The husband reportedly died at around 2 am on Monday, after which the woman was seen crying for help from the balcony of her Borghetto Santo Spirito residence in northwest Italy. According to CNN, the body of the man is still inside the apartment until it could be removed 48 hours after his death.

An Italian Guardia di Finanza (Custom Police) officer, wearing a respiratory mask, talks to a young man at a roadblock on February 24, 2020, in Casalpusterlengo, south-west Milan, Italy. (Getty Images)

Speaking to the outlet, Mayor Giancarlo Canepa said the widow has been unable to leave due to "quarantine restrictions" that do not allow anyone to approach the body. "Yes, it is true she is still there with the body and we won’t be able to remove it until Wednesday morning," he added on Tuesday. "Unfortunately, we have a security protocol we must follow."

According to Canepa, this "wouldn't have happened" if the man had refused to be taken to hospital after testing positive for Covid-19.

Meanwhile, a neighbor told IVG.IT how they saw the embattled widow crying for help from her balcony. "Right now the most important thing is to think about this lady, alone with the body of her husband," they said. "No one can come close to help her nor comfort her. We hope this is quickly resolved. Our thoughts are with her and on what she is living through."

A rescue worker, wearing a protective suit, walks past a roadblock on February 24, 2020, in Casalpusterlengo, south-west Milan, Italy. (Getty Images)

Italy's nationwide quarantine could be tightened even further after the death toll surged to 631 on the first day of the lockdown yesterday with more than 10,000 cases confirmed.

Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte promised that the government would increase spending to help battle the crisis, saying more than 25 billion euros ($28bn) had already been put aside. This comes after the Italian cabinet said last week they would just need $8.5 billion. However, the unprecedented crisis and subsequent lockdown have frozen the nation's economy.

The global confirmed coronavirus cases stand at around 120,000, and more than four thousand deaths have been reported.