New York, now the global epicentre of the pandemic, has begun burying its unclaimed dead in a graveyard that is the final resting place of those who die poor and alone.
Harrowing images show people in hazmat suits excavating mass graves on Hart Island in the Bronx, and coffins being lowered in.
Around 25 bodies – usually people who cannot afford a funeral or who are not claimed by family – are interred there each week in normal times.
Now the weekly figure is close to 120.
Mayoral spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein said: “For decades, Hart Island has been used to lay to rest [dead people] who have not been claimed by family. We will continue using the island in that fashion in this crisis.”
The city has cut from 30 days to 14 the time it will hold unclaimed remains before they are buried on Hart Island.
Ms Goldstein said: “These are people who, for two weeks, we have not been able to find anyone who says, ‘I know that person, I love that person, I will handle the burial’.”
In New York, which has more coronavirus deaths than many nations, burials have quadrupled.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said: “We’ve lost over 7,000 lives to this crisis. That is so painful, I don’t even have the words for it.”
He has signed an emergency executive order making it easier for licensed funeral directors from other states to practise in New York. Concerns have deepened for the city’s 70,000 homeless people who live on the streets or in shelters.
Campaigners say there has been little in the way of meaningful action to protect them. Other US cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, Philadelphia and Seattle have also been hit very hard.
Over 17,000 people have died of coronavirus in the US, making it the leading cause of death in America at the moment. Of the 470,000 confirmed cases, roughly 162,000 are in New York, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
Researchers predict that the US will reach its highest daily deaths total tomorrow. It is estimated that 60,415 in the US will die of coronavirus by August, assuming social distancing policies continue until May at least.
Photo Credit: Getty
