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Coffins in the parking lot: A Spanish funeral home copes with COVID-19

In this April 14, 2020, photo, head mortician Jordi Fernandez prepares a coffin before placing the body of a COVID-19 victim in an underground parking garage turned into a morgue at the Collserola funeral home in Barcelona, Spain. Since a state of emergency was declared in the country, funeral homes must follow strict measures to avoid further contagion, stripping Fernandez of his normal duties and taking away the last chance families had of seeing their loved ones before laying them to rest. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
In this April 14, 2020, photo, head mortician Jordi Fernandez prepares a coffin before placing the body of a COVID-19 victim in an underground parking garage turned into a morgue at the Collserola funeral home in Barcelona, Spain. Since a state of emergency was declared in the country, funeral homes must follow strict measures to avoid further contagion, stripping Fernandez of his normal duties and taking away the last chance families had of seeing their loved ones before laying them to rest. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

By RENATA BRITO and FELIPE DANA / The Associated Press 5 min read

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) – Jordi Fernández’s 16-year-career as a mortician didn’t prepare him for the hundreds of bodies that are streaming into the Barcelona funeral home where he works.

Many are victims of COVID-19, and Fernandez cannot truly do his job.

As head thanatopracticioner, Fernández is usually tasked with preparing the corpses for their funerals, to disguise “the colors of death” and instead give the deceased an appearance of peace and tranquility.

But since a state of emergency was declared on March 14, funeral homes in Spain must follow strict measures to avoid further contagion, stripping Fernández of his normal duties and taking away the last chance families had of seeing their loved ones before laying them to rest.

Now, infected corpses cannot be removed from their sealed body bags and are placed straight into coffins, something Fernández and his team try to do with the utmost care.