Cremations surpassed burials among California Latinos during the pandemic. Here s why
Sacramento Bee 5/13/2021 Kim Bojórquez, The Sacramento Bee
May 13 When Martha Castro s uncle died of cancer last March, her family had limited options to put him to rest.
Statewide closures prompted by the coronavirus pandemic forced funeral homes throughout the state to temporarily halt burials and church services early on in the pandemic.
The indefinite delays meant a casket burial for her uncle was off the table. Our thought was, Of course there would be a casket burial, but because the pandemic had just hit it was: No mass, no services, not even burial at that particular point, Castro said. Latinos in general we re used to laying our loved ones to rest from one day to the next.
Courtesy of Spangler Mortuaries
Spangler Mortuaries, which has a Los Altos location, has been feeling the effects of a surge in COVID-19 deaths in the Bay Area.
As COVID-19 cases and deaths surge in California, among the hardest hit sectors is the death-care industry. Cadaver storage facilities are increasingly at capacity, and providers of mortuary services are forced to adapt their business models and take additional precautionary steps to protect both clients and employees.
Kevin Hutchison is one of three funeral counselors at Spangler Mortuaries, located in Los Altos, Mountain View and Sunnyvale. He spoke last week with the Town Crier about COVID-19’s effect on his industry.
By LIU YINMENG in Los Angeles | China Daily Global | Updated: 2021-01-18 11:17 Share CLOSE
Rob Karlin has been working seven days a week. Whenever he can catch some rest, he does, but the job of handling the delicate details at the end of another person s life has taken a toll on him, both physically and emotionally.
The rising death toll from the coronavirus pandemic in Los Angeles County, the hardest hit region in the US, is overwhelming mortuaries and funeral homes.
In Los Angeles County, the country s most populous county, the number of novel coronavirus cases passed 1 million on Saturday. On Sunday, that number stood at 1,004,322. Someone dies every eight minutes now in LA County from COVID-19, new estimates show.
Southern California Funeral Homes To Run Out Of Space As Covid Cases Surge
The state funeral association head says mortuaries are flooded as the United States nears a grim tally of 350,000 Covid-related deaths.
PTI 03 January 2021 AP/PTI PTI 2021-01-03T08:06:26+05:30 Southern California Funeral Homes To Run Out Of Space As Covid Cases Surge outlookindia.com 2021-01-03T10:16:30+05:30
As communities across the country feel the pain of a surge in coronavirus cases, funeral homes in the hot spot of Southern California say they must turn away grieving families as they run out of space for the bodies piling up.