Revnna, August 18, 2024 – As is known, Ferragosto is a holiday period, but the sociological impact is notable. During these holidaysIndeed, work activities come to an almost complete haltcreating a mass closure which profoundly affects people’s lives. Even for the funerals Unfortunately, in some cases, Ferragosto can represent a problem. This is what the Gabriella Strocchi from Barbiano of Cotignolareporting the great discomfort in which, due to a bereavement, he is coming to find himself. “Unfortunately – he explains – my mother passed away on the evening of August 13th. Since the 14th was a pre-holiday, the attending physician was not present for the Istat signature, and the 15th was the same problem since it was a national holiday. The Municipality of Cotignola and all the registry offices of the Union of Bassa Romagna closed on Wednesday the 14th at 2 pm and received the funeral home staff until 12 pm, and then reopened only on Monday the 19th. And, even if it was possible to have the attending physician’s signature on Friday the 16th, it is not possible to proceed with the Istat documentation, because the municipal office is closed. Therefore, the body cannot be exposed and the funeral cannot be celebrated.“. Due to this series of unfortunate coincidences the emotional weight of the mourning suffered has increased in a very unpleasant way. “I find myself – concludes Strocchi – to display my mother’s body only on Monday 19th and hold the funeral on Tuesday 20th, one week after her death. An inconceivable situation and of great discomfort for me and my family. I would therefore like to report this intersection of malfunction and bureaucracy of a system that does not work, playing with people’s feelings in such difficult moments as those of the loss of a family member and in particular of a mother. No less important is the dignity of the deceased who unfortunately, after such a long time, is no longer worthy of being exposed”.
The mayor of Cotignola, Federico Settembrini, when asked about the matter, expressed his condolences to the family and said he was “sorry for the situation that has arisen”. He then explained that “it is possible for the funeral agency of reference to forward the necessary documentation via email so that the offices, even if closed to the public, can proceed with the necessary formalities. Typically, local funeral agencies are informed of this possibility in the event of prolonged office closures. Even on the occasion of these holidays, this notice was sent and unfortunately, with another death recorded, everything was resolved regularly”.