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A room full of corpses, packed in sacks with warning notices - that is also part of everyday life in the pandemic.
In the funeral home, those who died of or with Covid-19 are prepared for their final rest under high security precautions, as here in Berlin.
The corpses are placed in plastic bags at the hospital.
Tightly closed, they must no longer be opened.
Dealing with corona dead requires particular caution, there is an increased risk of infection.
Saying goodbye to a corona dead in an open coffin is unthinkable.
And precautionary measures also apply to other deaths.
The fact that not all relatives can be present at the funeral is particularly painful for many bereaved.
Gerhard Bajzek, Managing Director Grieneisen Burials:
"The large editions give out the cemeteries because the cemeteries actually decide how many people are allowed to be there, how many people are allowed to enter the halls, how many people are allowed to say goodbye at the coffin and how many people are allowed to escort to the grave . And that is the painful thing for the relatives. "
According to the undertaker, conversations with relatives are also very different than before the pandemic.
Older relatives in particular, as high-risk patients, often seek advice over the phone.
The talks have therefore become more difficult.
Gerhard Bajzek, Managing Director Grieneisen Burials:
"Of course, over the phone it comes across differently than when you sit across from each other. And I think, especially in a consultation, when it comes to the last step, it is very important that we also allow the world of emotions and with the relatives Place. ")
According to the Robert Koch Institute, almost 12,000 people in Germany have died from or with the corona virus since the beginning of the pandemic.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, there is no higher excess mortality in 2020 than in previous years.
The undertakers also confirm this:
Gerhard Bajzek, Managing Director Grieneisen Burials:
"No, we cannot determine excess mortality in these years, despite Corona. Because you have to say that due to the hygiene measures, of course, some deceased who would otherwise have died from infectious diseases such as flu and the like stay away. So we have more of a death -Decline in burials. If you think back to the years 2015 to 2018, when there were actually major flu waves, there was a significantly higher excess mortality. "
However, the numbers of corona and flu deaths cannot be easily compared.
How many people die of the flu each year is only an estimate.
Corona deaths, on the other hand, are officially recorded after the virus has been detected - during lifetime or post mortem.
