CORONAVIRUS LEADS TO CHANGES IN FUNERAL HOMES

Grief is a universal response to losing the special someone in one’s life. Death is an inevitable, yet most depressing and heartbreaking part of our lives. With the latest pandemic wreaking havoc around the world, the mourning process has become even more overwhelming. The novel coronavirus, which initially originated from Wuhan, China, fiercely spread around the whole world.  

Grieving the loss of loved ones has also become troublesome during the pandemic. No doubt, that death deprives us of the physical presence of the loved ones. However, funerals are considered extremely important to farewell the loved ones and support the mourning families and friends. 

The novel coronavirus has affected different businesses around the globe. Whether it is the educational institutions, healthcare systems, restaurants, or airline industry, COVID-19 took a toll everywhere. Notably, the funeral businesses are among the significantly affected markets during the pandemic. Hundreds and thousands of people have fallen prey to the highly contagious coronavirus pandemic. The rising deaths also overwhelmed the funeral homes. The global lockdowns forced the funeral homes to turn the families away to prevent the spread of the COVID-19. The centers for disease control and prevention have established various guidelines for funerals. Now the funeral arrangements are either made with Zoom video conference or with a limit of only two family members. These disruptions caused by the COVID-19 has forced additional trauma to the people who have lost their loved ones. With that said, let’s discuss how coronavirus leads to changes in the funeral homes. 

FAMILY-ONLY FUNERALS

As soon as the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 a global pandemic, government officials immediately imposed lockdown all over the world. With this lockdown, many businesses were forced to shut down whole production operations to prevent coronavirus spread. The lockdown imposed by the government also impacted funeral home services. Moreover, the “stay at home” order, social distancing, and gathering rules also halted the funerals. 

The alteration in the funeral homes and their services caused upset in emotional behaviors among the people. Funerals homes were allowed to continue the interment with the family-only gatherings. The fluctuations in mortality rates during the pandemic have resulted in limitations for safety. On the other side, closed coffins and restrictions to see and touch the departed ones leave long-lasting emotional suffering. Live streaming funerals are also helpful for the mourning process for the deceased one. But still, it is not the same as before the pandemic and could not provide the love value of farewell for the beloved departed. 

FUNERAL PREPARATION

Funeral preparations have become even more difficult during the pandemic. With the uprising deaths due to the novel coronavirus, funeral homes are overwhelmed for funeral and cremation processes. According to the WHO guidelines, the family members get prohibited from touching and kissing the body. Moreover, the funeral workers must ensure to follow all the precaution measures to keep a safe side from getting infected. The dead bodies are now transported by the health officials to funeral homes to conduct funeral practices safely. 

Given the coronavirus pandemic, hosting the funeral gathering is extremely dangerous. Funeral workers are prone to coronavirus infection. In this case, funeral directors need to follow the precautionary measures to ensure the safety of themselves and the funeral workers. All religious organizations are allowed to perform their traditional funerals and maintain social distance and proper personal equipment.  

MAINTAINING SOCIAL DISTANCE

Closing down the businesses is not a perfect solution to contain the spread of the virus. Every business is now allowed to open up, along with strictly following the SOPs during operations. The same goes for funeral homes, but the number of funeral workers and attendees varies from place to place. However, funeral homes are required to maintain social distancing to prevent coronavirus spread during the funeral.

Practicing social distancing is essential to maintain safety around the funeral homes. For that instance, many funeral homes tend to offer virtual-only funerals, which significantly minimizes the risks of the spread of novel coronavirus. However, funeral homes are also allowed to conduct medium-sized funeral events with a 6 feet social distance among the attendees. These factors have prominently impacted the traditional operations of funeral homes and modified the funerals with limited attendees. 

FINAL WORDS

Funerals are indeed the only way to express your love for the deceased ones. However, it is also essential to understand the ongoing situations because of the pandemic. It is still unclear how long these measures will remain and how they can affect the families. But still, it is essential to follow all the guidelines provided by the government authorities to continue the funerals while ensuring safety.