Czech Republic’s biggest crematorium is full due to Covid

The country recorded 17,773 cases on 7 January alone, the highest number for the second day in a row

(AP)

The Czech Republic’s biggest crematorium, in the northeastern city of Ostrava, has been overwhelmed by mounting numbers of pandemic victims.

All three cremation chambers are operating on a 24-hour basis, while storage capacity for caskets has been repeatedly boosted. But despite best efforts, the crematorium has continued to reach capacity, and now bodies are being transported to different crematoria, but there are fears that they too are close to full.

On 7 January, cars from funeral companies delivered caskets every few minutes, some with "COVID" written on them. These days, the crematorium receives more than 100 coffins daily, about double its maximum cremation capacity.

Authorities in Ostrava have been speeding up plans to build a fourth furnace but, in the meantime, have sought help from the government's central crisis committee for pandemic coordination.

"It's an extraordinary situation," said Katerina Sebestova, a deputy mayor in Ostrava. "Nobody here remembers anything like that." The facility belongs to Ostrava City Hall.

"It's simply because we have 60% more deceased than we had a year ago. So, we have to deal with storage capacity and the capacity to cremate," she said.

Up to 1,000 bodies a month were cremated in Ostrava before the pandemic struck. The number rose to 1,550 in November and 1,570 in December after a surge at the end of October, crematorium director Ivo Furmancik said.

The Czech Republic, with a population of10.7 million, has registered 794,740 cases of Covid since the pandemic began, and 12,621 deaths. November was the deadliest month with 4,937 deceased.

The country recorded 17,773 cases on 7 January alone - the highest number for the second day in a row - with 185 deaths in the same 24 hour period. It is one of the worst-hit countries in Europe.  

It is likely that this significant spike in cases will also lead to a spike in deaths. 

"To tell the truth, I expect that the situation won't get any better but unfortunately will likely get worse," Furmancik said.

The crematorium has built an overflow cold storage container to double its storage capacity by 60 coffins, and further boosted it by adding a couple of movable freezers for another 100. But the cremation chambers can't take any more.

"For two-and-a-half months we have been working non-stop with no pause for maintenance," Furmancik said. "So, this really is not an optimal situation. How long can this last? I am worried that because of this intensive use the crematoria could get seriously damaged at any moment."

Interior Minister Jan Hamacek, who heads the central crisis committee, has promised to create a system to distribute bodies to other crematoriums across the country but some have already indicated they are reaching their own limits.

“Another, tougher option, is that we’ll take only the number of the deceased we are capable of cremating,” Furmancik said.