COVID-19 has forced funeral homes in Prince Albert to make changes. (File Photo/paNOW Staff)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

Dealing With Loss

COVID-19 forces big changes in funeral industry

Mar 27, 2020 | 12:00 PM

Funeral homes in Prince Albert are adapting amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Funerals are still allowed to take place, but they are limited in size to 10 people and social distancing is required.

Drew Gray, Owner and Manager of Gray’s Funeral Chapel said the precautions mandated are making things more stressful for some people because they are not allowed to be physically close to each other.

“A funeral is about the circle of support that a gathering provides, so people with that removed from them adds a layer of grief to their experience,” he said.

Gray said since restrictions have been implemented, many people have been opting to have burials or cremation services while putting off larger celebrations of life. They have hosted a visitation, which saw them rotate people through the building to comply with current regulations.

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In his time in the industry Gray said he has never experienced anything like the current situation. He said during the H1N1 outbreak his funeral home was involved in discussions with public health talking about pandemic planning. He said during those discussions they did not believe it was likely there would be events eliminating the ability to have traditional services.

“It’s pretty other worldly that we’re having to live through it now,” he said.

Marianne Turcotte, co-owner of Beau Lac Funeral Home said she is worried about how some people will cope as they may not have as much support, which can cause more anxiety.

“I do have concerns of course about the long-term psychological affects that this will have on families that are going through a loss right now,” she said.

Turcotte said isolation is also a concern for her because people are currently relying on technology to stay in contact with each other. She added this is not an available option for everyone.

“There’s still a generation of people that don’t have access to and don’t know how to use it,” she said.

Beau Lac Funeral Home is taking a number of precautions to protect against the virus. This includes more cleaning and limiting face to face contact by communicating through phone and email.

Having to conduct business the way they currently are, Turcotte explained is also difficult. She said making funeral arrangements virtually is not reassuring for most people.

“Our industry isn’t at a point where people feel comfortable making arrangements with [Amazon] Alexa,” she said.

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn