THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay funeral homes have implemented measures aimed at protecting mourners, the general public and funeral home staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many local families are choosing to postpone or forego a large service, but services that are taking place must be conducted under tighter provincial guidelines.
The maximum for any gatherings is 50 people.
The industry regulator–the Bereavement Authority of Ontario–this week ordered additional restrictions on the number of individuals who can attend funerals, in anticipation of increased demands related to COVID-19.
All funerals are now limited to the maximum that can be accommodated for people to maintain a distance of two metres (six feet) between each other at all times.
This means funeral homes must limit attendance to the number of people who can be accommodated in a room while still maintaining social distancing requirements.
In addition, no food or beverages can be offered to or consumed by guests during gatherings at a funeral home.
The Bereavement Authority has also instructed that interments and burials be conducted without delay.
In a notice to funeral directors, registrar and CEO Carey Smith said "I know that some have been storing bodies since the pandemic began to inter at a later date. Let me be very direct: Interments and burials must proceed now."
On Tuesday, Smith also ordered the province's cemeteries to ensure they are available for interments immediately "or as soon as possible if restricted by ground conditions."
At Everest of Thunder Bay, president John-Bryan Gardiner said many families are currently choosing to hold just a small private gathering after the death of a loved one.
"Most families are saying, 'Okay, we'll look after the disposition of the body now, and have something down the road once this [COVID-19] is over with. Whether that happens is yet to be seen. It all depends on how long this current health issue carries on," Gardiner said.
"We'll still have a funeral under certain circumstances, but most families are just saying 'no, we'll wait until this [COVID-19] is over with,' " Gardiner said.
He noted that attendance is likely to be lower than normal even when a formal service is conducted, given the need for people to avoid public gatherings.
"It's questionable how many people would come. I hope the public is taking this situation seriously. We just have to accept where we are," Gardiner added.
"We have to do what is best for the community as a whole, not just for ourselves."
Gardiner said that–within the provincial guidelines–his funeral home will still arrange a smaller, non-public service if requested, preferably within its own chapel where staff can do proper sanitizing both before and after.
At Harbourview Funeral Services, manager Cory Kutschke said COVID-19 has added a lot of stress to families already in a state of grief, but people are generally understanding of the need for the current restrictions.
"As a society now, this situation is almost becoming the norm...we get the point that we do need to practice physical distancing," Kutschke said.
"We're assisting families at this time taking care of their loved one, but planning for more of a public event in the future when the situation rights itself."
Kutschke said his company is still hosting services for immediate members of deceased people's families, who also have the option of live-streaming the event online for the benefit of individuals unable to attend in person.
Rather than live-streaming, Everest has chosen to record all its services on a DVD which is uploaded to its website within hours, "so it's there basically forever," Gardiner said.
