Arranging services at funeral homes Willoughby Hills, OH, helps you lay your loved one to rest. As of July 2021, many Americans have lost a relative or friend to COVID-19 which speaks volumes for the magnitude of damage and emotional turmoil it has brought upon us. To curtail its spread, federal and state governments have put strict restrictions and guidelines in place pertaining to social distancing and public gatherings.

At the same time, one cannot downplay the importance of holding a memorial service. CDC has outlined the necessary guidelines for people planning to arrange a memorial service of the lost loved ones.

Let’s deep dive into the important details.

Total Attendees

The most important question is how many guests a bereaved family should invite. The CDC recommends that the number of guests shouldn’t be more than half of the total capacity of a funeral home – to avoid congestion and ensure better social distancing.

Selection of Venue

With the easing of COVID-related restrictions, most funeral homes around the world have restarted their services. But the official guideline is to hold the service in an outdoor location. Ask the funeral home if they can arrange an open venue to make It convenient for the guests to follow social distancing protocols.

Guideline for Inviting Children and Elderly

Children and the elderly can attend a funeral service, however, even you invite them they may not come since they are most vulnerable to severe symptoms of COVID-19. Make special arrangements for them to help them feel included.

COVID-19 Protocols for Guests

Anyone visiting a funeral home should:

• Wear a face mask and keep a 6-foot mandatory distance from each other if it’s required in your area. Avoid hugging other guests including the bereaved family if you can. For vaccinated people, the rules are flexible and they can make a handshake or hug each other to offer condolences and sympathies.
• Keep a mini sanitizer spray in the pocket and use it after every few minutes as long as you’re in the ceremony.
• Avoid touching the deceased’s body if Covid-19 is the major cause of death – however, no concrete evidence of Covid-19 transmission from the dead body is found yet. But it’s not a risk worth taking.
• Refrain from touching and sharing commonly used objects in a funeral such as religious books, collection plates, programs, to help minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Capitalize on Technology

The outbreak of the pandemic has provided a stimulus to the virtual memorial service industry and many funeral homes have all the mechanisms in place to arrange live streaming of the whole event.

Regardless of how much effort and time you put in arranging a perfect memorial service, meeting all the COVID-related protocols, many close friends and family members may not be able to attend easily due to various traveling restrictions.

That’s why you can ask the funeral home to arrange for virtual coverage of the memorial service and let the guests know about the date and time of the event as well as which software to use to watch the live coverage if they can’t go to funeral homes Willoughby Hills, OH.