Main logo

"We are the last to have contact with COVID victims, and it is scary"

Funeral homes in the city of Toluca are overwhelmed by a growing wave of infections and deaths due to COVID-19

Escrito en LSR MEXICO REPORT el

TOLUCA.-Even though every day extreme precautions are taken to avoid contracting COVID -19, six funeral service providers in the Toluca Valley have died from the virus. "We have many sick families of contagions; we have many sick families from the funeral homes themselves," said Sergio Acuña Sánchez.

Mrs. Rubí, who sells funeral services outside hospitals, said that although she has been in constant contact with human corpses for a large part of her life, she is afraid of catching it at any time and carrying the illness home.

"The truth is, I''m scared, that''s why I hardly get out of my truck, I''m just on the lookout because that''s my job, but the simple fact of being here, the simple fact of entering (the hospital), because we are the last person in direct contact with the deceased is scary. The first time the virus arose, I am honest, I did not hear any case of a close relative, friend or acquaintance or something but this time, there are many people who I know that have become ill. Some have died, relatives, friends, acquaintances, thank God it has not happened to me, but fear prevails because there have already been deaths among funeral employees ".

It is because of the enormous growth of Mexicans who died from the pandemic,  hospitals, such as the Adolfo López Mateos Medical Center, located in Toluca, the corpses have to wait up to three days to be removed and taken to one of the three crematorium that exist in the city''s capital.

"We only have three crematories in the city of Toluca, which are collapsed, there is no room, if a person dies right now, today, we cremate them three days later. The problem that those of us who dedicate ourselves to this job have an overcoming situation. Family members often don't want or can not have the body at home due to the pandemic. Still, several of our colleagues do not have the necessary facilities to be able to have a body for more than 24 hours ", emphasized Sergio Acuña Sánchez.

The most recent reports from the Federal Ministry of Health indicate that as of Monday, the State of Mexico accounted for 21,625 deaths from the pandemic, and 169,105 Mexicans have tested positive for COVID-19, already including the 911 epidemiological events counted between yesterday and yesterday.



Traducción: Valentina K. Yanes