Boston Globe prints 16 pages of death notices

The print edition of the Boston Globe reflected the somber, unprecedented time we are living in. The paper published 16 pages worth of death notices on Sunday, as the number of coronavirus cases surged in Massachusetts and many other places around the world.

On April 5, there were nine pages of death notices and last Sunday, the Globe ran 11 pages of tributes before printing 16 pages this week. On the same Sunday in 2019, which was April 21, they ran seven pages of death notices, archives show.

Death notices are submitted to the Globe by funeral homes or the friends or family of the deceased. The Globe does not know how many of the death notices were coronavirus victims, but the paper noted that several of the deaths did mention a battle with COVID-19. 

This weekend’s death notices came from all over Massachusetts, as well as several other states and countries, including California, New Jersey, South Carolina, Texas, Greece, Ireland and Italy.

In Italy, newspaper death notices have signified the same stark reality: Deaths are increasing. On one Friday in March, L’Eco di Bergamo printed 10 pages of death notices, when they usually print one, according to the New York Times.

Italy is the third-most infected country, with over 178,000 coronavirus cases and more than 23,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins. The U.S. has the most cases (761,991) and deaths (40,724) and while some cities are seeing a flattening of the curve, health officials say a continuation of social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders are necessary to slow the spread of the virus.

There are more than 38,000 coronavirus cases in Massachusetts and over 1,700 people have died from COVID-19 complications in the state as of April 19, according to the state’s public health department. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday: “We’re right in the middle of the surge now.”

Many Globe readers noticed the increase of death notices in Sunday’s edition, and posted their thoughts on social media about the grim reality they were seeing.