German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has suggested that Germany should hold an official memorial for those who have lost their lives to the pandemic, because many of them had to die without their loved ones by their side.
“A corona death is a lonely death,” Steinmeier told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland media group. “We need to help people with their grief, and think about how we express our sympathy.”
Those infected by the disease are required to be treated by health care workers in isolation to ensure that the virus does not spread. This means that those who die of the novel coronavirus often do not get a last chance to see their family.
Steinmeier said he needed to talk to other government bodies before confirming that a memorial ceremony could be held.
“We have 9,300 dead to mourn,” he said. “That is three times as many deaths in six months as our annual death toll from traffic accidents. We shouldn’t overlook that.”
Steinmeier added that focusing on the numbers won’t comfort those who have lost a loved one.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 988 to 249,985, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday.
The reported death toll rose by one to 9,325, the tally showed.
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