It is hard enough to lose a loved one. Yet, one Italian was forced to be with his sister’s dead body for days as funeral homes did not agree to take the job.
This is due to the escalating pandemic in Italy that currently records 1,016 Covid-19 deaths.
Luca Franzese sought help in a tearful video on Facebook, with his dead sister Teresa Franzese in the background.
This agonising sight garnered sympathy from millions of people until a funeral home was kind enough to take the job.
On 12 Mar, Italy went on a nationwide lockdown and completely shut down stores, as Covid-19 numbers continue to rise.
This includes the city of Naples, where the Franzese siblings reside.
According to Washington Post, Luca Franzese’s sister died on 7 Mar in her home after contracting Covid-19. Her body remained in the house for 36 hours.
She was only tested positive for the virus after her death, putting her family members on the quarantine list.
According to an Italian news site Le Lene, Luca was given the name of a funeral home after much head-scratching by authorities.
As the funeral home was not equipped to deal with the body, they refused to take the job.
With that, he was left with no option but to co-exist with his sister’s dead body in the same house.
We can only imagine how torturous it must have been for Luca. With no other choice, he posted a tearful video on Facebook for help.
His sister laid motionless on her bed in the background, as he describes his predicament.
Luca’s desperate plea garnered 9.6 million views after it was posted on Sunday (8 Mar).
He eventually managed to get the help of a funeral home that was willing to take on the job.
Staff subsequently entered the home with protective suits on Monday (9 Mar) to collect the decaying body.
According to a member of the Regional Health Commission for Campania, this is the “first case in Italy in which a person with the virus dies at home, so there was confusion of what to do”, reported Al Jazeera.
For Luca, however, he felt like he was abandoned by Italy, as no one was there to lend a helping hand when they needed it the most.
Furthermore, the family was also unable to attend the burial as they are under quarantine orders.
Italy needs to introduce more comprehensive procedures to help families deal with Covid-19 deaths.
Perhaps they could take a page out of Singapore’s book, as our funeral companies have already trained their staff to deal with potential Covid-19 fatalities.
Hopefully, measures will be taken fast, so that nobody would need to go through such a horrific experience again.
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