Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Aug 02, 2025

Spain and France lay coronavirus victims to rest as UK prepares for worst

Tragic pictures show coronavirus victims being laid to rest in France and Spain, as parts of the UK prepare for a worst-case scenario.
Municipal workers wearing protective gear carried a coffin at an El Salvador cemetery in Vitoria on Friday, as the Spanish death toll rose to 4,858 when 769 people died overnight.

In other pictures, members of the Charitable Brotherhood of Saint-Eloi de Bethune carry an urn towards a family tomb, as the number of people who have passed away in France jumps to 1,695.

It comes as talks are held about setting up a temporary mortuary with space for up to 12,000 bodies at Birmingham Airport in England, amid growing concern over the speed of the coronavirus spread in the West Midlands.

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council has been searching on behalf of all West Midlands and Warwickshire local authorities to find possible sites that could be used if needed.

Two further coronavirus field hospitals are also being built at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and Manchester’s Central Convention Centre, following the announcement that London’s ExCel Centre would be transformed into the NHS Nightingale Hospital.

NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens told the daily Downing Street press briefing on Friday that the venues were being created to cope with the expected spike in cases ‘with further such hospitals to follow’.

The Midlands venue could hold up to 5,000 beds if required, while the GMEX could hold as many as 1,000.

Lockdown rules have robbed many people of a chance to say goodbye to their loved ones in different countries across the world.

A new confinement directive brought in by President Emmanuel Macron limits funerals to 20 people in France, with only close family members allowed in cemeteries or crematoriums

Spain has extended its state of emergency, with citizens only allowed out of their homes to go to work, the doctor, the supermarket or pharmacy, to help vulnerable people or to walk their dogs.

The UK government followed suit on Wednesday, saying only immediate family could attend funeral services to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Carlisle City Council has limited the numbers of those who can attend burial and crematorium services to a maximum of 12 people, while only six family members will be able to go to services in Birmingham.

On Wednesday, the head of a family funeral directors firm claimed that undertakers were running out of space to store bodies in Glasgow amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Funeral services cannot take place until deaths have been registered, but many face-to-face appointments at registry offices are unavailable following the government’s lockdown.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
×