COVID-19 has struck, but it’s not just affecting the living. Innumerable U.S. businesses and families have had to change the ways they handle the dead, too. Funeral homes are already experienced in preventing disease but have recently had to implement even stricter protocols when dealing with deceased that have been infected by the coronavirus.
When it comes to the families of the deceased (whether or not they passed from COVID-19), many are being forced to change or postpone funeral services, limit the number of the attendees, use online services, and more in order to scale back their memorials.
“The overwhelming majority of families understand,” said Matt Levinson, president of a Maryland funeral home that is limiting private graveside services to 10 people or fewer to comply with federal guidelines. “They’re not happy about it, but they understand that safety is more important.”
The stats on the matter:
- More than 7,700 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the U.S.,and more than 115 deaths, although infectious-disease experts say those figures are likely vast undercounts.
- In Washington state, where more than 1,100 peoplehave been infected by the virus and more than 65 have died from the disease, funeral homes in the Seattle area and beyond are bracing for more bodies.
Sandra Walker, president of the Washington Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, makes a note-worthy point: “Once the medical system gets overwhelmed, who’s next? That would be us.”
Generally, across the U.S., about 7,800 people die each day from any cause, and this is a number that is only expected to increase. It’s impossible to predict how many people will die from COVID-19 disease, with U.S. estimates ranging from tens of thousands to more than 2 million in a worst-case scenario.
Repercussions from this mean a grim rise in business for mortuaries and cremations, said Barbara Kemmis, executive director of the Cremation Association of North America. Nearly 55% of people in the U.S. opt for cremation, with about 40% choosing traditional burials. “We’ve come out of the flu season and, for much of the U.S., the winter weather, where death rates are usually higher,” Kemmis said. “What a lot of funeral businesses are preparing for now is no slowdown.”
The reality is, “We’re not sure how long the virus will last on deceased human tissue at this point,” said Rob Goff, executive director of the Washington State Funeral Directors Association. So, as funeral workers handle more bodies potentially infected with the COVID-19 virus, they’re doubling down on their usual precautions to avoid disease, said Goff.
Workers transporting bodies are advised by health officials to place masks over the mouths and noses of those who have died because bodies can exhale the virus when moved. Workers also should use double body bags to contain them, Goff said. Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call for disinfecting the outside of body bags and following embalming precautions for hard-to-kill viruses.
What does this mean for their relatives and friends? Funeral homes are discouraging touching or kissing the bodies of people who have died of COVID-19, said Bob Achermann, executive director of the California Funeral Directors Association. “Those cultures where you may have different customs, such as bathing the body or a shroud, you may think about whether that’s advisable when COVID-19 was the diagnosis,” he said.
Another result of the COVID-19 pandemic: demand is surging for virtual funeral webcasts and other online services. Funeral-related websites, including eCondolence.com and shiva.com, have seen a “tremendous increase” in online traffic, said Michael Schimmel, chief executive of Sympathy Brands, an online marketplace.
David Lutterman, the chief executive of OneRoom, an international firm that has specialized in livestreaming funerals for the past decade, said the company’s 100,000 weekly views have spiked about 60%.
The consequences of COVID-19 are long-term and unpredictable, but the majority of people just want to do the right thing—for those that are living and those that are not.
Source Name: Kaiser Health News