An Italian man says the body of his sister who died of COVID-19 was left in their home for over 36 hours.
Teresa Franzese, in her 40s from the city of Naples, died of coronavirus on Saturday (local time). She had become ill earlier that week.
However, Al Jazeera reports her body remained in the house with her brother, parents, and other family members for over 36 hours.
"My sister died last night, probably because of the virus, and I've been waiting for answers since last night," the woman's brother Luca said in a video posted to Facebook on Sunday (local time).
It was only after Teresa died that she was tested for coronavirus, which returned positive. She was otherwise healthy although reportedly suffered from epilepsy.
"I had to force them to come and do the test," Luca said.
"We are ruined, Italy has abandoned us."
After another funeral home in the area was alerted to Luca's Facebook video, they agreed to collect the body.
"It was surreal," Aprea Funeral Home employee Pasquale Pernice told Al Jazeera. "We used masks, sterile shoes, hazmat suits, glasses, and gloves."
Local councillor Francesco Emilio Borrelli spoke to the broadcaster about the incident saying, "It's getting unhygienic and we don't know what to do about it. Someone needs to help them".
As of Wednesday (NZT), Italy's death toll stands at 631 with 10,149 reported cases.
