On Thursday, medical staff in full protective gear walk past the gate of Hankou Funeral Parlor in Wuhan, the epicenter of China’s coronavirus outbreak. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

A man leaves a room at Hankou Funeral Parlor carrying an urn of ashes. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

A crowd of people who did not register in advance sit at the parlor. They will have to wait for up to five hours as undertakers work to locate their relatives’ ashes among the many urns. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Those who booked in advance sit apart from each other in a hall, maintaining social distancing. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Temporary shelters erected for bereaved families to rest sit outside the funeral parlor. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

A funeral parlor worker checks documents provided by a relative of one of the dead. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

A truck loaded with 2,500 empty urns stops beside the funeral parlor. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Workers check the number of urns in a wing. Photo: Bao Zhiming/Caixin

Dark smoke billows from crematorium chimneys into the sky. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin