As the death toll doubles during the COVID-19 pandemic, cremation limits in Los Angeles County are lifted

LOS ANGELES (KABC) – The death toll during the COVID-19 pandemic is so high in Los Angeles County that an emergency order has been issued limiting the environmental limit to the number of cremations that can be carried out each month.

The death toll in the region is twice as high as before the pandemic, which according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District has led to a huge backlog at hospitals, funeral homes and crematoria.

The AQMD removes temporary environmental restrictions on cremations to deal with the backlog of bodies awaiting removal and cremation.

The ten-day release was granted at the request of the Los Angeles County Medical Officer and the Department of Public Health.

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“The current mortality rate is more than double that of the years of pre-pandemic, leading to hospitals, funeral homes and crematoria exceeding capacity without processing the backlog in cases,” the AQMD said.

Los Angeles County has reported 13,848 deaths since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, including 108 additional deaths reported Sunday. The province generally reported more than 1 million cases.

Funeral homes and cemeteries report that they have to turn families away because of the number of funerals they do.

Even Rose Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary in Whittier – the country’s largest cemetery – says it’s difficult to handle.

The 2,500-hectare cemetery has doubled its daily call volume and the funeral process now takes at least a month, usually taking 5-7 days. Some families report that they waited for hours simply to reach someone at the cemetery.