People are dying of Coronavirus and they will need to be buried. That’s not easy under the circumstances.
Tripp Carter of Bradshaw Carter Memorial and Funeral Home on West Alabama in Houston says limiting events to attendance by ten people or less is a challenge for family gatherings like visitations and services, but they are finding supportive ways to help people through their darkest and most difficult days. “We are offering live streaming for families at no cost. We live stream a service so people can remain in their homes but still see the service if they wish to go ahead with a service at this time.” Some people are choosing cremation as an option so that the family will be able to gather for a memorial service at a later time. It’s especially difficult because funerals are often cross-generational. Because of the vulnerability of elderly to coronavirus contamination, it is being suggested that elderly refrain from attending funerals.
The most immediate concern of the funeral industry, he says, is the one plaguing the medical profession. “We are facing a shortage of proper PPE’s for our staff here in the funeral industry: masks and protective gear.” PPE’s , "personal protective equipment" including the gloves, masks and gowns, are required for embalming.
Caskets are stocked and there are no concerns of shortages, Carter says, but vendors say tents and chairs for graveside services are limited because of limited staff. He says every aspect of the funeral industry right now is undergoing unprecedented change, not unlike all of life right now.