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Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Overloaded crematorium
Zittau has to temporarily store his dead
Zittau in Saxony mourns twice as many deaths in the corona pandemic than a year ago. In December, the number is likely to triple. The local crematorium is overwhelmed by it. The deceased must now be temporarily stored elsewhere.
Due to the dramatically high number of corona deaths in Zittau in eastern Saxony, the corpses must be temporarily stored there outside the crematorium. The city of Zittau announced that the dead will be stored “in the area of the floodplain” and transported to the crematorium “when authorized for cremation.” The crematorium management had reached an agreement with Mayor Thomas Zenker on short notice.
According to the city, the number of deaths soared in December in particular. While 45 people died in December last year, there have been 115 so far this month. In November, the number of deaths doubled from 52 last year to 110 this year. 45 people died in October last year, this year 73.
All at the limit
The number of cremations currently required “sometimes exceeds the capacity of the Zittau crematorium,” he said. There are significantly more deaths, more admission interviews, funeral examinations, and notarizations at registry offices. Everyone involved is at their limits.
At the crematorium, some 70 deceased have been treated permanently for ten days, “so it is urgent to relax the employment situation of the crematorium employees.” “Out of consideration for family members and overburdened employees, no further details will be released at this time,” the message read.
The city asks for help
The city appealed to the Görlitz district and the Saxon state government for help in case the situation worsened. The crematorium’s managing director, Daniel Brendler, stated: “Despite the special situation, the situation is still manageable, but now it must be organized accordingly with a view to further developments.”
Zittau is located in the extreme southeast of Saxony in the border triangle of Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic and has around 25,000 inhabitants. A week ago, a city doctor caused a stir with statements about a so-called triage. The term means that medical professionals must decide who to help first due to limited resources. Now Bundeswehr soldiers are supposed to help out in Zittau at the turn of the year. Additional beds were arranged in hospitals and rehabilitation facilities.
