Planning a Funeral During the Pandemic

Your funeral director is here to help, whether you’re planning a small, family-only service or a larger gathering in the future. Regardless of your specific wishes, it is important to note that, to ensure your safety and the safety of funeral home staff, your funeral director may take additional precautions when helping you make arrangements, especially if your community is experiencing many cases of COVID-19. In other communities where the virus is not as prevalent, funeral professionals may reduce the number of precautions taken.

1. When you call your funeral director to set up an arrangement conference, he or she may ask if anyone is feeling ill or if anyone is known to have been exposed to COVID-19. If so, he or she will request that those individuals stay home or join in the discussion by teleconference.
2. You may also be asked to limit the number of people who come to the funeral home for the arrangement conference. Other family members may be able to join the discussion by teleconference. 
3. For your safety, and that of funeral home staff, you may be asked to wash your hands (or use hand sanitizer) upon arrival at the funeral home and again before you leave. In addition, the funeral director may politely decline to shake your hand, again for the safety of everyone involved. He or she may also maintain social distancing requirements of at least six feet at all times and may ask you to wear a protective mask.
4. For your safety and the safety of funeral home staff, your funeral director may request to make funeral arrangements via video conferencing (webcasting, facetiming or live-streaming) in lieu of an in-person arrangement conference.
5. Your funeral director should inform you about federal, state and local mandates and recommendations – as well as guidelines issued by local cemeteries – that may affect your funeral arrangements. 

If you're not having a service right away but would like to plan one in the future, post-pandemic, visit Your Guide to Planning a Future Service.