Priests ‘waking up with night sweats’

And this has left one priest "waking up with night sweats" as he faces the task of delivering 12 funerals in just one week.

Jojo Remeny, a designer and tailor, has been making custom face masks for NHS and key workers from his shop in Birmingham city centre, which he says will be closed until at least August.

And he says that while supplying these face masks he has spoken to a wide variety of people affected by the coronavirus – including a priest.

“Due to the lockdown I had quite a few nurses contact me asking for PPE, so I’ve made quite a few free face masks for the nurses, and for NHS staff.

“Anyway, there’s a Church of England dioceses office about three doors away from me. And the priest called me one afternoon because he was concerned that he hadn’t seen me in my shop.

“So I explained to him that I was coming in late at night and making masks, and he said ‘oh my god could you make me some, I can not get the masks anywhere.’

“He said he had to conduct 12 funerals that week, and the majority of them were coronavirus victims. And the priest was scared. He told me himself that he’s waking up with night sweats at the moment.

“And he said that one of them was for a mother and son, a 34-year-old guy, and that’s when it hit home to me.

“You read about it in the papers, but you’ve actually got this priest who’s burying coronavirus victims and he’s got no mask. So I was really concerned, so I made him a couple of masks.”

Mr Remeny says this isn’t the only shocking experience he’s had with a customer during the crisis, detailing how a 36-year-old friend of a friend ‘in perfect health’ died just a few weeks ago.

And he has vowed to not allow anyone into his shop once lockdown is lifted without a face mask on, adding that they should be compulsory.

“When we do reopen, I’m stating that anyone that does come into my shop has got to wear a mask. And I’ll provide all the masks and hand sanitisers and everything.

“People now are not wearing masks, and they should wear masks. How many people will be wearing masks on the tube in the coming days and weeks? Very few. Maybe five per cent. They should make it mandatory, masks should be worn in public spaces. If every other country in Europe has made it compulsory, what are their scientists saying that ours aren’t, and why? I just don’t get it.

“If people want masks, I will gladly make them masks. Any NHS staff I do it for free, key workers I give a huge discount, though I’ve still got to pay rent on my shop. If people can’t afford it, though, I’d be happy to do it for free. There is no issue there.”