A woman was trapped in her apartment with her husband's dead body after he died of Covid-19.
The Italian woman was unable to leave her flat in Borghetto Santo Spirito due to quarantine restrictions despite her partner dying at 2am on Monday.
The widow has been seen crying from the balcony and calling out for help, a neighbour told IVG.IT.
They said: "Right now the most important thing is to think about this lady, alone with the body of her husband.
"No one can come close to help her nor comfort her. We hope this is quickly resolved.
"Our thoughts are with her and on what she is living through."
Giancarlo Canepa, mayor of the north east Italian town, 40 miles from Genoa, told CNN that the body would not be able to removed until Wednesday morning.
He said: “Yes, it is true she is still there with the body and we won’t be able to remove it until Wednesday morning.
“Unfortunately, we have a security protocol we must follow."
The mayor also said the dead man had refused to be taken to hospital for treatment.
News of the widow's horrific personal situation comes as the World Health Organisation declared a panedmic.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the blunt admission that the Covid-19 form of the coronavirus should now be "characterized as a pandemic".
By the organisations own definition, a pandemic is “an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people”.
To follow the day's latest coronavirus news as it breaks, check out our blog .
