Death in the time of coronavirus is lonely, and silent. Italy's ban on saying goodbye to dying family members or friends has plunged many into despair — but they continue to hope for new, more humane regulations.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/C. Furlan
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There's an outcry. But it's silent. Silent as death and as quiet as the grief of loved ones. "I know many people who were unable to say goodbye to their deceased mother or father," Bergamo Bishop Francesco Beschi laments in a recent interview with the German weekly Zeit's ‘Christ and the World' supplement.
At the end of March, Beschi said an intercessory prayer at the Bergamo cemetery for the more than 1,800 people who had died in the city and their relatives who were unable to say their final goodbyes. "We must not leave them alone with their pain, those who have seen their loved ones disappear into nothingness," the bishop warned.
Cell phones on coffins
And yet this is exactly what is happening. Mourning in coronavirus times means something unimaginable for the relatives and the dying — they are not allowed to say their final farewell. These regulations exist in many hospitals, elderly care homes and nursing homes. Their last breath is recorded by a machine and nobody is there to hold their hand.
A recent report by Italian journalist Francesca Borri, who visited the San Pietro Polyclinic intensive care station whilst wearing a protective suit, sends shivers down the spine. "In Bergamo, you die alone. You are buried alone. During the burial the priest blesses the coffin on which a mobile phone is placed so the family can listen in," the reporter wrote in the Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano.
Italy is not the only country where intensive care patients can no longer be visited by their relatives. In almost all countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, being present to say goodbye to dying patients is only allowed in exceptional circumstances — even in Germany.
The Italian army loads the coffins of the deceased of Covid-19, from a municipal warehouse due to the large number of deaths in the Bergamo area Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot
Feelings of guilt and heartache
Since the coronavirus outbreak, cemeteries are not allowing devotions to take place in their chapels. Farewell services across Germany are now only possible outdoors, with — depending on the state — a maximum of between five and 20 people, including the undertaker, pastor and pallbearers.
This is another slap in the face for relatives unable to say goodbye to loved ones on their deathbed. For an 86-year-old musician from Hamburg, being unable to attend his brother's funeral after he died of cancer has plagued him with feelings of guilt, he says: "Every day I think I should have gone [to visit], even though I belong to the risk group, " he told DW.
It's not only the relatives of the sick and dying who hope these strict regulations will be relaxed. "We are pleading that the visitation bans be loosened for such cases," Mathilde Langendorf, Caritas Germany's press spokesperson told DW. Companionship at the end of life is an important issue, especially for Catholics.
'Extremely stressful'
A spokesperson for the German Hospital Association admitted that "the situation is extremely stressful for many patients and their relatives at present." In an attempt to stop the virus from entering their facilities, "most clinics are severely restricting the number of visits."
No uniform rules exist for people wishing to visit relatives in hospitals or nursing homes in Germany. Most facilities follow the recommendations of Germany's Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases. Exceptions can be applied by health authorities on a case-by-case basis.
For many relatives, prohibiting their presence causes much heartache and a sense of guilt. "In our culture, not being with your loved ones during their final hours is considered a violation of family responsibilities," psychologist Javier Barbero, a member of the Spanish Society of Palliative Medicine, said.
Italian military trucks drive through streets of Bergamo after the army were deployed to move coffins from the town to neighboring provinces after funeral services were overwhelmed.Image: via REUTERS
Online grief counseling
"Without guidance and rites, it seems and if nothing happened. A feeling of unreality sets in," Barbero explains in an interview with Spanish daily El Pais. Together with 60 psychologists and a number of funeral homes in Madrid, he has set up a grief counseling service for relatives where questions, wishes and fears are dealt with via e-mail.
In Italy, many hospitals have joined the "Right to say goodbye" campaign. An initiative started by the ruling Democratic Party (PD) — and which hasn't been without controversary — collects tablets from donors, which are distributed to those dying in hospitals, so they can at least say goodbye digitally to their relatives.
Mathilde Langendorf from Caritas Germany advocates that relatives should at least be allowed to enter hospitals and nursing homes if they wear protective clothing. She admits, however, that this would be difficult considering the lack of personal protective equipment available even for nursing staff. "If sufficient protective clothing were available, the question of visitation would be quite different," she stressed.
Remain kind to one another
Within in the funeral industry, which the country has now classified as being systemically important, some try to read the new rules as liberally as possible. For example, using automatic lowering devices to place the casket into the grave means a need for fewer pallbearers, making it possible for a relative to come to the funeral.
”You can set up microphones at the gravesite, so the funeral service can be heard up to 600 meters away,” explains an undertaker who wishes to remain anonymous. No one can forbid you standing anywhere in a cemetery. But, he says, the most important thing to keep in mind throughout all of this is that "one remains kind."
Coronavirus: Timeline of the global spread of COVID-19
Since the first cases were confirmed in December 2019, the flu-like COVID-19 virus exploded into a global pandemic, killing tens of thousands of people and infecting around 800,000. Scientists scramble for a vaccine.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/SOPA Images/A. Marzo
Pneumonia-like virus hits Wuhan
On December 31, 2019, China notifies the World Health Organization of a string of respiratory infections in the city of Wuhan, home to some 11 million people. The root virus is unknown and disease experts around the world begin working to identify it. The strain is traced to a seafood market in the city, which is quickly shut down. Some 40 people are initially reported to be infected.
Image: Imago Images/UPI Photo/S. Shaver
First death in China
On January 11, China announces the first death from the coronavirus — a 61-year-old man, who had shopped at the Wuhan market, dies from complications with pneumonia. Like SARS and the common cold, scientists identified that the new virus is in the coronavirus family. It is temporarily named 2019-nCoV. Symptoms include fever, coughing, difficulty breathing, and pneumonia.
Image: Reuters/Str
Virus reaches neighboring countries
In the following days, countries such as Thailand and Japan begin to report cases of infections in people who had visited the same Wuhan market. In China, a second fatality is confirmed in the city. By January 20, three people have died in China and more than 200 are infected.
Image: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Millions under lockdown
China places Wuhan on quarantine on January 23 in an attempt to limit the spread of the virus. Transportation is suspended and workers attempt to quickly build a new hospital to treat infected patients, which total over 830 by January 24, as the death toll climbs to 26. Officials eventually extend the lockdown to 13 other cities, affecting at least 36 million people.
Image: AFP/STR
A global health emergency?
More and more cases are confirmed outside of China, including in South Korea, the US, Nepal, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. As the number of infections rises, the World Health Organization on January 23 determines that it's "too early" to declare a global public health emergency.
Image: Getty Images/X. Chu
Coronavirus reaches Europe
On January 24, French authorities confirm three cases of the new coronavirus within its borders, marking the disease's first appearance in Europe. Hours later, Australia confirms four people have been infected with the respiratory virus.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Mortagne
First cases confirmed in Germany
On January 27, Germany announces its first known case of the virus — a 33-year-old in Bavaria who contracted it during a workplace training with a visiting Chinese colleague. He is put under quarantine and observation at a Munich hospital. The following day, three of his colleagues are confirmed infected. The death toll in China reaches 132, with around 6,000 infected worldwide.
Image: Reuters/A. Uyanik
WHO declares global health emergency
On January 30, the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) declares coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern in a bid to protect countries with "weaker health systems." However, WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus does not recommend trade and travel restrictions, saying these would be "an unnecessary disruption."
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First death outside China
The first death linked to the novel coronavirus outside of China is reported in the Philippines on February 2. A 44-year-old Chinese man had traveled from Wuhan to Manila before falling ill and being taken to hospital, where he later died of pneumonia.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. Aljibe
Bad ending to a cruise
Also on February 3, the cruise ship Diamond Princess is quarantined off Yokohama in Japan after cases of the new coronavirus were found on board. As of February 17, the number of people infected has grown to more than 450, the largest cluster of cases outside of China. Several of the 3,700 passengers and crew onboard the ship are being or have been flown back to their home countries.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/kyodo
Italy under quarantine
Cases in Italy rise dramatically, with 77 deaths and thousands of confirmed cases by March 3. Many countries instigate travel restrictions to northern Italy and tourist numbers plummet. On March 8, the Italian government put the entire Lombardy region into quarantine, affecting 16 million people. March 10 sees 168 fatalities in Italy, the highest in a single day.
Image: Reuters/R. Casilli
Economic woes
European and US stock markets slump on March 6, leading to the worst week since the 2008 financial crisis. The effect on global business has been significant, with many companies reporting losses and the tourism industry and airlines badly hit. The EU pledge €7.5 billion ($8.4 billion) on March 10 in an investment fund to try to stop the Eurozone falling into a recession.
Image: picture-alliance/Jiji Press/M. Taguchi
WHO declares outbreak as pandemic
As worldwide cases top 127,000 and deaths pass 4,700, the World Health Organization designates the global outbreak as a "pandemic" on March 11. US President Donald Trump announces a travel restriction on people coming from the Schengen Zone in Europe, annoying the EU. German Chancellor Angela Merkel announces that in Germany, 70% of the population could get the virus.
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Public life on hold in Europe
On March 14, Spain joins Italy in imposing a near-total nationwide lockdown to prevent the virus spreading. The population of 46 million is told not to leave their homes unless for essential tasks. In France, cafés, restaurants and non-essential shops are closed as of March 15. Many public events in Germany are cancelled and schools close.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AAB. Akbulut
International travel severely restricted
As of March 15, many countries impose strict travel bans or restrictions in an attempt to stop the spread of Covid-19. For example, New Zealand and Australia require all international passengers to self-isolate for 14 days after arrival in the country. The US extends a European travel ban to include the United Kingdom and Ireland.
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Germany imposes partial lockdown
In a landmark televised address German Chancellor Angela Merkel announces far-reaching restrictions on everyday life on March 22, banning meetings between more than two people not from the same household outside of the workplace. The country has a surprisingly low death rate, a phenomenon attributed to a high level of testing, and a high number of intensive care beds.
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Virus strikes at top as UK locks down
On March 23rd Britain becomes the latest country to impose restrictions on personal freedoms, with people only allowed to leave their homes in a limited number of circumstances. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is diagnosed with the viruson March 27, as well as heir to the throne Prince Charles on March 25. Meanwhile, there are complaints that not everyone is taking social distancing seriously.
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Grim milestone for the US
On March 27 the US overtakes China in terms of the number of people infected, making it the country with the most cases of COVID-19. This came as President Donald Trump claimed that the nation would get back to work "pretty quickly." At the same time, it emerged that more than 3 million Americans had lost their jobs due to the pandemic. New York is worst-hit, with a hospital ship sent to help out.
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot/J. Fischer
Spain's surging death toll
Spain also overtakes China in the number of COVID-19 cases on March 30, as the government toughens the severity of its lockdown. All non-essential activities are halted. Only Italy has a higher death toll than Spain. Most affected is the capital, Madrid. With funeral services overwhelmed, officials turn the Palacio de Hielo ice skating rink into a temporary morgue.
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More than a million
On April 2nd the Johns Hopkins University announced on Thursday that there were more than a million confirmed coronavirus cases around the world. The US is the most affected with three times the number than China, where the virus emerged in December. Over 50.000 people have died — and the outlook remains grim.
Image: Reuters/J. Redmond
UK PM Boris Johnson hospitalized
The 55-year-old was admitted to the intensive care unit at London's St Thomas hospital on Monday evening (6.4.) and was given oxygen treatment after his condition worsened. He had been diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 27.
