The Italian military has tasked trucks with carrying dozens of coffins to crematoriums as the coronavirus has overwhelmed many cemeteries in the country.
The grim news comes as Italy reported 793 coronavirus deaths in a single day Friday. The country is among the most severely afflicted by the disease in the world, with footage obtained by Bloomberg News showing the military trucks in Bergamo, Italy transporting the bodies. (RELATED: Dire Warning From Inside Italy’s Quarantine: This Could Happen All Over The World)
Army trucks transport dead bodies to crematoriums across Italy after Bergamo’s cemetery in the Lombardy region was overwhelmed by #coronavirus deaths #CoronavirusItalia pic.twitter.com/V5vsGn3lBF
— QuickTake by Bloomberg (@QuickTake) March 20, 2020
Italy surpassed China in number of reported deaths last week, despite its outbreak starting roughly a month later. There is some question as to the accuracy of China’s self-reported numbers, however.
The news also comes as several states in the U.S. have taken drastic steps to curb the spread of coronavirus. Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an order Friday mandating that every non-essential worker in the state to stay home.
“These provisions will be enforced. These are not helpful hints. This is not if you really want to be a great citizen. These are legal provisions. They will be enforced. There will be a civil fine and mandatory closure for any business that is not in compliance. Again, your actions can affect my health. That’s where we are,” Cuomo said at the press briefing. “We need everyone to be safe, otherwise no one can be safe.”
The announcement comes after Ohio, Illinois, Maryland, Connecticut and others have taken drastic measures to close gyms and ban bars and sit-down restaurants from serving patrons in-house, mandating that they only serve take out and delivery. (RELATED: DHS Sec: ‘No Immediate Plans’ To Impose Domestic Travel Restrictions In U.S.)
New York was the second state to impose an all-out ban on going to work, following California’s own announcement Thursday night.