Municipal authorities in Kavala have announced plans to exhume approximately 150 graves of people who died from COVID-19, after discovering that the bodies had not decomposed five years after burial. Officials say the complication stems from strict pandemic-era burial protocols that required tightly sealed coffins and lime treatment, which appear to have slowed natural decomposition. The exhumations, a sensitive undertaking for affected families, are being coordinated with health authorities to ensure they are carried out safely.