With more than a million cases of the novel coronavirus globally, families have been grappling with how to say goodbye.
As a result of the ongoing spread, the number of people allowed at a funeral is 10.
In many cases, funeral homes have begun harnessing social media and digital communications to broadcast services to family members in quarantine or abroad.
“These numbers are people, and that’s a difficult thing,” said Michael Sargent, president of the Ontario Funeral Service Association.
“To think how many families are suffering as a result of this.”
READ MORE: Coronavirus is changing how we hold funerals
With a surge in cases anticipated in the coming days, Sargent said he and his industry peers have been hard at work.
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“We would need to perform our duties 24/7 whereas before with hospitals, we wouldn’t be required to come in at 4 a.m. Now the need is for us to do that,” he said.
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In New York City, the situation has become dire. Refrigerator trucks were brought in to serve as makeshift morgues since hospitals and funeral homes have become overwhelmed.
Italy, which has been especially hard-hit by COVID-19, an emergency measure was enacted to ban civil and religious ceremonies,
