Bodies pile up at crematorium in Germany’s virus hot spot

The caskets
are stacked three high in the Meissen crematorium’s somber memorial hall, piled
up in empty offices and stored in hallways. Many are sealed with plastic
wrapping, others are labeled “infection risk,” “urgent” or simply “COVID.”
A surge of
coronavirus deaths in this corner of eastern Germany has boosted business for
crematorium manager Joerg Schaldach and his staff, but nobody is celebrating.
“The situation is a little bit tense for us at the
moment,” Schaldach said as another undertaker’s van pulled up outside.
The
crematorium would typically have 70 to 100 caskets on site at this time of
year, when the flu season takes its toll on the elderly.
“It’s normal for more people to die in winter than in
summer,” said Schaldach. “That’s always been the case.”
Now he has
300 bodies waiting to be cremated and each day dozens more are delivered to the
modernist building on a hill overlooking Meissen, an ancient town better known
for its delicate porcelain and impressive Gothic castle.
On Monday,
Meissen county once again took the unwanted lead in Germany’s COVID-19 tables,
with an infection rate three times the national average. The state of Saxony,
where Meissen is located, includes six of the 10 worst-hit counties in Germany.
Schaldach
says the crematorium is doing its best to keep up with demand, firing up the
twin furnaces every 45 minutes and managing 60 cremations a day.
“The ashes still end up in the right urn,” he said.
But whereas
staff would normally try to ensure the deceased look good for relatives to bid
their final farewells, infection rules now mean the caskets of COVID victims
have to remain shut throughout, making the entire process even harder for those
involved.
“It’s our business, we’ve seen death many, many times,”
said Schaldach. “The problem we see is that the grieving relatives need our
help. And at the moment, there’s a greater need for words of consolation
because they’ve given their deceased loved one to the ambulance and then they
never see them again.”
Some have
linked Saxony’s high infection rate to wider anti-government sentiment in a
state where over a quarter voted for the far-right Alternative for Germany
party at the last national election. Its lawmakers have objected to the need to
wear masks, limits on people gathering and the closure of stores. A few have
even denied the existence of a pandemic outright.
Other
commentators have noted the state’s large number of elderly and its reliance on
nursing home workers from the neighboring Czech Republic, where COVID-19
infections are even higher.
Officials in
Meissen, including the head of the county administration, the local doctors
association and the lawmaker representing the region in parliament, an ally of
Chancellor Angela Merkel, all declined to be interviewed about the situation.
Saxony’s governor, Michael Kretschmer, acknowledged in a recent interview with daily Freie Presse that he had underestimated the impact of the pandemic in his state and paid too much attention to those calling for businesses and schools to remain open.
A video
showing Kretschmer talking to anti-lockdown protesters outside his home Sunday
ends with him walking away after one person dons a mask made to look like the
German Imperial War Flag, a symbol favored by far-right extremists.
Schaldach,
the crematorium manager, says most people in Saxony accept the rules. But he,
too, has read comments on social media branding reports about bodies piling up
at his crematorium as fake news.
“Those who believe in conspiracy theories can’t be
helped. We don’t want to debate with them,” he told The Associated Press. “They
have their beliefs and we have our knowledge.”
Down in
Meissen, the streets are empty, devoid of the usual tourists or even the bustle
of locals.
Franziska
Schlieter runs a gourmet food store in the historic city center that’s among
the few allowed to stay open amid the lockdown. Her store, which has been run
by five generations of her family, is being sustained by a trickle of regulars
buying lottery cards and gift baskets.
“In the Bible, God sent people plagues when they didn’t
behave,” said Schlieter, who feels easing the lockdown over Christmas was a
mistake. “Sometimes I have to think of that.”
On the
cobblestone square, Matthias Huth tends a lone food truck outside his shuttered
restaurant. He defends those who have questioned the government’s COVID-19
restrictions, but says skepticism shouldn’t justify denial.
“Conversations
are starting to change,” Huth said as he served up a dish of chopped blood
sausage, sauerkraut and mash known locally as ‘Dead Grandma.’ “Everyone wants
it to be over.”