COVID-19 surge takes toll on Portugal's undertakers

Standing next to the sealed coffin of yet another COVID-19 victim in Portugal, funeral parlour worker Carlos Carneiro wept as the bereaved family played a record of a traditional fado song as a final goodbye. Carneiro, 37, has been in the undertaking business for two decades helping people cope with loss, but never felt as affected by sorrow and fear as now. Portugal fared better than others in Europe in the first wave of the pandemic in March-April, but the new year brought a devastating surge in infections and deaths, overwhelming the health service and funeral homes. More than 14,700 people have died of COVID-19 in Portugal, with cumulative infections since the start of the pandemic at nearly 775,000.