While the nation prepares itself to face the brunt of the COVID-19 outbreak, the question arises – how does this pandemic affect funeral homes? They deal with death, a job that often survives the impact of recession.
COVID-19 is having a significant impact on the way the funeral homes function and conduct their business. While they already have measures in place to prevent disease, they still have to implement stringent protocols. The reason is to comply with the directives of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).
New directives from the Texas DSHS
Texas DSHS, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has been working to respond to the outbreak. The commissioner of Texas DSHS, Dr. John Hellerstedt, announced on March 19, 2020, that this was a public health disaster.
As per the latest directive, businesses in the state have to follow sanitation, cleanliness, and hygiene practices, to curb the spread of the disease. It doesn’t permit social groups to have more than 10 members at a time. Also, it mandates that every individual maintains a minimum distance of six feet from other people. The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) released a guide to inform funeral homes on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Impact of COVID-19 on funeral homes
Due to these directives, funeral homes now only permit small gatherings, with 10 people or less, with most of them being family members. Businesses are switching to live streams on the inter, to overcome the restrictions on the number of individuals who can attend the service.
Some families are postponing the funeral service, due to the challenges posed by the outbreak. Another obstacle that funeral homes are facing is to coordinate with cemeteries and churches, to find out whether they are open.
These businesses have always been ready to deal with infectious diseases by taking measures to ensure that everyone is safe and secure.
Thanks for reading,
Karen
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