Some cemeteries closed in Peru during Day of Dead

Peruvians had hoped this year they'd be able to resume their Day of the Dead traditions of visiting the gravesites of their loved ones.

But health and local authorities decided to close most cemeteries in Peru to prevent a third wave of COVID-19, which has already claimed the lives of more than 200-thousand people.

The Nueva Esperanza cemetery on the outskirts of Lima, known as Virgen de Lourdes, is among the largest in the world, with over one million tombs, and it's located in one of Lima's most impoverished neighborhoods.

Some residents attempted to climb hillsides and use other unauthorized passages used to gain entrance but were stopped by armed security forces.

Visiting loved one's tombs on the Day of the Dead is a tradition for many in Peru and other Latin American countries.

People tend to eat and drink and pay tribute to the deceased on the Day of the Dead every November.