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The General Cemetery of Santiago, in the heart of the capital and the largest in Chile, is digging thousands of graves to face an increase in deaths from the new coronavirus pandemic.
Until last week, Chile recorded between 350 and 500 new infections a day, but on Saturday it began to take stock in the vicinity of 1,000 until it shot up 60% on Wednesday, when 2,660 infections were registered in a single day, and almost the same number this Thursday.
Gravediggers excavate a month ago some 2,000 individual graves in three courtyards of the gigantic municipal precinct, located in the Recoleta district, director Rashid Saud confirmed to AFP.
“We realize the historical moment we are in and that we may need more graves, because we see what has happened in the countries close, ”Saud explained. He added that a month ago and for own initiative they began the task of providing more graves.
Although every year the cemetery staff clears the temporary graves not claimed by the relatives, in an activity colloquially called “hangovers”, the task was never done at this time of year, Luis Yévenes told AFP, secretary of the union of the General Cemetery and president of the Federation of Workers of Municipal Cemeteries.
They seek to enable two thousand graves
According to Saud, nearly 1,000 graves have been enabled so far. Yévenes affirmed, however, that some 1,700 of yards 134, 134 and 136 have already been cleared.
The official plan is to enable near 2,000 graves, according to Saud, to face the pandemic that in Chile has claimed the lives of 368 people since the first coronavirus case was registered on March 3.
“We have to contrast it with other countries that have resorted to mass graves, with countries where they have been with the dead in the streets, corpses rotting in trucks; is that what we want to avoid and hopefully we don’t use them (the new graves), ”added Saud.
Yévenes explained for his part that it is earth graves They are being excavated in yards where bodies were buried more than a decade ago.
In addition, he expressed his concern about what happens in municipal cemeteries in other cities in Chile, such as Valparaíso; Viña del Mar; Concepción and Talcahuano. “There is no capacity. We made a cadastre, “said the leader.
Through a statement, the Seremi de Salud Metropolitana indicated that they have not requested the empowerment of graves to any cemetery. Meanwhile, the mayor of the commune, Daniel Jadue, said that the actions of the General Cemetery respond to “their own development plans.”
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