MEISSEN, Germany (AP) – The coffins are stacked three storeys high in the gloomy memorial hall of the Meissen crematorium, piled up in empty offices and stored in hallways. Many are sealed with plastic packaging, others are labeled “risk of infection”, “urgent” or simply “COVID”.
A wave of coronavirus deaths in this eastern corner of Germany has boosted business for crematorium manager Joerg Schaldach and his staff, but no one is celebrating.
“The situation is a little tense for us right now,” Schaldach said as another van came out.
The crematorium would typically have between 70 and 100 scraps on site at this time of year, when the flu season has an effect on the elderly.
“It’s normal for more people to die in the winter than in the summer,” Schaldach said. “It’s always been that way.”
He now has 300 corpses waiting to be cremated, and dozens more are delivered every day to the modernist building on a hill overlooking Meissen, an ancient city better known for its delicate porcelain and impressive Gothic castle.
On Monday, Meissen County again took the unwanted lead in the German COVID-19 tables, with an infection rate three times higher than the national average. The state of Saxony, where Meissen is located, includes six of the 10 most affected counties in Germany.
Schaldach says the crematorium is doing its best to keep up with demand, burning twin kilns every 45 minutes and managing 60 cremations a day.
“The ashes reach the right ballot box,” he said.
But while staff would normally try to make sure the deceased looks good to relatives in order to say goodbye, infection rules now mean the heads of COVID victims must remain closed throughout, making the whole process to be even harder for those involved.
“It’s our job, we’ve seen death a lot of times,” Schaldach said. “The problem we see is that grieving relatives need our help. And right now, there is a greater need for words of consolation, because they gave the deceased loved one to the ambulance and then they never saw him again. ”
Some linked Saxony’s high infection rate to broader anti-government sentiment in a state where more than a quarter voted the far-right Alternative for Germany in the last national election. Its lawmakers opposed the need to wear masks, the limits of gathering people and closing shops. Some have even denied the existence of a direct pandemic.
Other commentators noted the state’s large number of elderly people and their dependence on workers in nursing homes in the neighboring Czech Republic, where COVID-19 infections are even higher.
Meissen officials, including the head of the county administration, the local doctors’ association and the parliamentarian representing the region in parliament, an ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, declined to be interviewed about the situation.
Saxony Gov. Michael Kretschmer admitted in a recent interview with the daily Freie Presse that he underestimated the impact of the pandemic on his state and paid too much attention to those calling for businesses and schools to remain open.
A video showing Kretschmer talking to anti-blockade protesters outside his home on Sunday ends with him walking away after a person donned a mask made to look like the German imperial war flag, a symbol favored by extremist extremists. right.
Schaldach, the crematorium manager, says most people in Saxony accept the rules. But he also read comments on social media branding reports about bodies piling up at his crematorium as fake news.
“Those who believe in conspiracy theories cannot be helped. We don’t want to debate with them, “he told The Associated Press. “They have their beliefs and we have our knowledge.”
In Meissen, the streets are empty, devoid of ordinary tourists or even the hustle and bustle of the locals.
Franziska Schlieter runs a gourmet grocery store in the historic city center, one of the few that is allowed to stay open in the middle of the blockade. Her store, run by five generations of her family, is backed by a string of regulars who buy lottery cards and gift baskets.
“In the Bible, God sent wounds to people when they were not behaving,” said Schlieter, who said the easing of the Christmas blockade was a mistake. “Sometimes I have to think about it.”
In the cobbled square, Matthias Huth has a lone food truck outside his closed restaurant. He defends those who have questioned the government’s COVID-19 restrictions, but says skepticism should not justify denial.
“Conversations are starting to change,” Huth said as she served a bowl of blood sausage, sauerkraut and puree, known locally as “Dead Grandma.” “Everyone wants it over.”
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Kerstin Sopke contributed to this report.
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