Families get creative to stay in touch with elderly family members during coronavirus lockdowns. For the safety of the residents, assisted-living homes around the world have been forced to temporarily prohibit visitations. A harsh but necessary mandate to protect this…
South Carolina funeral linked to 6 COVID-19 deaths
Funeral gathering directly linked to six deaths in South Carolina. Just two weeks before the March 16th announcement from the Whitehouse, with guidelines recommending no more than ten people come together, a funeral was held infecting many and eventually killing…
Canada planning to open its first human taphonomy facility
Canada improves law enforcement efforts by investing in a human taphonomy facility This spring Canada is planning on opening its first ever Secure Site for Research in Thanatology (SSRT) in Becancour, Quebec. Also commonly referred to as a “body farm”…
Spain bans the opening of body bags
To prevent any further contagion from spreading, Spain has proactively banned the opening of body bags. Once the body bag is closed it can no longer be opened and the deceased cannot be removed from it. The funeral director places…
The South African Cemeteries Association is urging municipalities to prepare
The South African Cemeteries Association (SACA) calls out the local government to make plans for worst-case scenarios. South Africa currently has the largest number of coronavirus cases in Africa and is attempting to curb the rising number of infections through…
UK National Health Service (NHS) runs out of body bags
An unprepared UK health care system is forcing workers to reportedly have to wrap deceased bodies in sheets, as they have run out of body bags. One reason why the National Health Service (NHS) has been caught empty handed, is…
Japan uses transparent body bags for families to say their final goodbyes to loved ones
In Kobe, Japan, the local government has ordered transparent body bags for families who want a viewing of those who died of COVID-19. The transparent bags, opposed to the opaque white bags that most hospitals use, might give some families…
Concerns from Thailand that a dead body has transmitted the coronavirus
The Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine has released a letter with convincing information affirming death care professionals suspicions that the virus is still active in the dead. Won Sriwijitalai, of Bangkok’s RVT Medical Center, and Viroj Wiwanitkit, of China’s…
The global rise of car accessible funeral services
Deaths caused by COVID-19 are forcing funeral home workers to think outside the box. How can they provide comfort to their clients when all the traditional methods are no longer possible due to mandated isolation policies? To help families and…
Social Distancing is crashing death care stocks
Funeral homes may be busy, but lockdowns mean less ceremonies, which means less business. Turns out more deaths don’t equal more business for death care companies. The added value that funeral home services offer grieving families is becoming incredibly clear…
