Funeral parlours working around the clock
The surge in Covid-19 deaths has placed Middelburg mortuaries and funeral parlours under pressure as they battle to manage the number of deaths.
Andre van Wyk, from Roseleigh Funeral Home, said they are working around the clock to prepare bodies for funerals.
Mr Van Wyk also said they have seen a spike in the mortality rate from Covid-19 in the present second wave.
While other provinces reported a shortage of coffins, Mr Van Wyk said he has not experienced a shortage at all.
The Mpumalanga Health Department has identified the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality as a hotspot, at least 4 521 positive cases have been reported, while 67 people have succumbed to Covid-19.
Funeral parlours and mortuaries are not the only ones feeling the strain of the pandemic.
Middelburg Provincial Hospital and Life Midmed Hospital have reported a sharp increase in Covid-19 numbers, saying that the second wave of infections is far worse than the first.
Helani Nel, from Life Midmed, said that the hospital has three Covid-19 wards now and all of them are filled to the brim.
