China, Satellite Images Show Surge In Activity At The Country's Crematoria, Which Have Been Overwhelmed By The New Wave Of Covid

Scenes that seem to call to mind 2020. Three years after that January 11, when the first victim of atypical pneumonia caused by a “mysterious virus” originating from a strain of the coronavirus was identified, Beijing is again facing a dramatic increase in the services provided by funeral home in the country. This was revealed by a Washington Post investigation, which, using satellite imagery by the American company Maxar Technologies, showed how activity around morgues has increased significantly in six different cities in the country: from Beijing to Nanjingfrom Cheng you to Kunmingas far as Huzhou and Tangshan. The amount of traffic seen on the satellite images, as well as videos and photos showing queues of cars and hearses waiting to gain access to the areas where the bodies are removed before cremation – explains the American newspaper – point to a long one Time ranging from previous months and in the same period of 2021. This situation is also confirmed by the collected evidence from the post. “I’ve been working here for six years and it’s never been so busy,” said a receptionist at a funeral home in southwest China. “The freezers — he continues — were full, all eight incinerators worked around the clock, and the phone never stopped ringing.” Demand has grown so great that at least four of the funeral homes contacted by the newspaper are reported to be conducting have hired funeral services outside of cremation. Evidence contradicting the budgets released by the Chinese authorities: the government, in fact, continues to insist that since last December 7th, the day of the abolition of the policy «zero covid» just died 40 people due to the virus, total about 2,500 Chinese nationals as of January 2020.

WASHINGTON POST/MAXAR | Increased activity in Chinese crematoria

January 9, 2023

Beijing

Looking at the photos from the top of the district crematorium tongzhou – on the outskirts of Beijing – The Washington Post noted how between the 22 and the 24 December the parking lot was expanded by approx 100 more vehicles. Company employees at the time also worked twenty-four hour days to cremate 150 According to a report published by the state-run Beijing Youth Daily, which was then cancelled. However, other sources report waiting five days for a funeral, a few minutes to say goodbye to loved ones before cremation, and touts asking for money to speed up procedures. With around 80% of the population infected by the end of December, Beijing is among the first cities to be hit by the new wave of coronavirus. This was reported by the former head of the China Epidemiological Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Zeng Guang. After the authorities’ decision to lift the “zero Covid” policy on December 7, the infection began to circulate among the population, both due to the lack of a policy aimed at coexistence with the virus itself and the most residents have been immunized with Chinese-made vaccines, which the US newspaper reports are less effective against the Omicron variant. In addition to Beijing, however, the Post has noted an increase in human trafficking in the area crematorium centers also in Nanjing, from Chengdu via Kunming to Huzhou and Tangshan. “As a general trend, over the past month we have seen an increase in vehicle activity and traffic at a number of funeral homes and crematoria in Chinese cities compared to the same period in previous years,” said Stephen Wood, director of Maxar News Bureau, quoted by the US newspaper.

WASHINGTON POST/MAXAR | Increased activity in Chinese crematoria

COVER PHOTO: WASHINGTON POST/MAXAR

China, Satellite images show surge in activity at the country’s crematoria, which have been overwhelmed by the new wave of Covid

Beijing

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