‘Dead bodies will pile up’: Hong Kong funeral industry warns of coffin shortage despite increase in supply following easing of lockdown restrictions in Shenzhen
- ‘We need 300 coffins every day to cope with the daily fatalities,’ says Hong Kong Funeral Business Association chairman Ng Yiu-tong
- ‘Coffins are as essential as rice to people … The government needs to set priorities and ensure a stable supply,’ he says
Hong Kong’s funeral industry has warned that the number of coffins remains tight despite more being delivered to the city recently adding authorities needed to do more to ensure a steady supply of caskets to cope with a surge in coronavirus-related deaths.
The warning on Saturday came as the city continued to face a shortage in caskets and ritual offerings from mainland China in the wake of a lockdown in neighbouring Shenzhen, further affecting local funeral services.
With cross-border traffic restricted since the lockdown began on Monday, industry leaders have said it was difficult for mainland-made coffins to be delivered to the city.
The government on Friday night said a batch of 330 coffins arrived in the city by land and sea that day, taking the total delivered in the past five days to 1,200.
Another 500 coffins were expected to arrive over the next two days after both Hong Kong and mainland authorities agreed to increase supply, it added.
A spokesman for the Department of Health said there were 3,200 bodies being kept in the city’s storage facilities as of Saturday.