Coronavirus: Italian newspapers printing 10 pages of obituaries

A viral video of an Italian newspaper with 10 pages of obituaries has shocked the internet and highlighted the grim realities of the crisis the European country is facing.

Italy is one of the worst hit countries by coronavirus with over 2,000 deaths so far and the nation on a full lockdown. On Sunday itself, the country reported more than 360 deaths.

On March 13, an Italian daily newspaper called L'Eco di Bergamo released an issue which had 10 pages of obituaries.

Twitter user, @davcarretta, posted a video of the paper, based out in Bergamo, a city northeast of Milan. The clip went viral with people sharing it and sending their thoughts to those affected.

The video compares two newspapers, one from February 9 and the other from March 13. The first one has around two pages of obituaries and the second one has an alarming 10.

Netizens were saddened to see the clip.

Twitter user @peterdalsgaard commented: “The horrors of an exponentially evolving pandemic. There are many visualizations of the spread and impact of #COVID19, but this one, in the shape of a local Italian newspaper, has hit me the hardest.”

User @michele_norris tweeted about her feeling regarding the clip and emphasised on the importance of social distancing to limit the spread of the virus: “Devastating thread. Newspaper in the beautiful northern Italian city of Bergamo had 1 1/2 pages of obituaries on February 9. By March 13 there were ten pages of obits. Please share so people understand importance of social distancing.”

Tweep @benjaminbutter wrote: “[…] Most powerful illustration of the human tragedy coronavirus is reeking I’ve seen.”

Northern Italy is the region most affected by the deadly virus in the country. According to the Washington Post, crematoriums in the area have started operating 24 hours a day and newspaper editors are comparing obituaries to "war bulletins" because of the number of names being printed.