Funeral parlours turn to makeshift mortuaries as virus deaths rise eNCA
An undertaker wearing personal protective equipment applies a sticker on a casket at the AVBOB funeral house in Soweto before leaving for a funeral.JOHANNESBURG - Behind Monageng Legae's funeral parlour in the South African township of Soweto sits a refrigerated shipping container made to store chilled goods. Now it stores bodies.
Surrounded by coffins in his showroom and wearing a protective mask and visor, Legae told Reuters that he handled 85 funerals in June and 75 in July, compared with 30 a month this time last year.The cost of the container, along with outlays on a temporary outdoor waiting area, more staff and an additional night shift, has helped wipe out additional revenues.
Funeral directors say that beyond the spike in deaths from COVID-19 -- the disease associated with the coronavirus -- they have to cope with coffin shortages and delays in the issuance of death certificates. Amid the scramble, funeral parlours aren't always able to balance strict regulations with the expected sensitivity: there have been reports in local media of the wrong bodies being interred.
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