MEISSEN – The caskets are stacked three high in the Meissen crematorium's somber memorial hall, piled up in empty offices and stored in hallways.
Many are sealed with plastic wrapping, others are labeled “infection risk,” “urgent” or simply “COVID.”A surge of coronavirus deaths in this corner of eastern Germany has boosted business for crematorium manager Joerg Schaldach and his staff, but nobody is celebrating.“The situation is a little bit tense for us at the moment,” Schaldach said as another undertaker's van pulled up outside.The crematorium would typically have 70 to 100 caskets on site at this time of year, when the flu season takes its toll on the elderly.“It’s normal for more people to die in winter than in summer," said Schaldach..