The BuzzFeed News journalists are proud to present you with reliable and relevant coronavirus coverage. To keep this news free, become a member and subscribe to our newsletter, Incoming.
Los Angeles County officials have temporarily lifted environmental limits on the number of cremations allowed to accommodate the growing backlog of deaths due to COVID-19.
Permits for crematoria contain restrictions on the number of human remains that may be cremated each month “based on possible consequences for air quality,” the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) said in a press release on Sunday. But due to the coronavirus, the current death rate in the region is twice as high as it was before the pandemic, which resulted in a large backlog in bodies at hospitals, funeral homes and crematoria.
Following requests from the Department of Mortality and Health, the AQMD has issued an order suspending the limits on cremations.
According to the order, more than 2,700 bodies will be stored in hospitals and the Coroner’s Office on January 15, and the 28 crematoria in the country have the means to carry out more cremations without the regulatory limits.
The latest outbreak of the virus was devastating in the Los Angeles area. On date, more than 1 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, according to LA Public Health, and nearly 14,000 people have died.
Earlier this month in Los Angeles, hospitals were short of oxygen and other supplies, and some critically ill patients had to wait up to eight hours in ambulances before arriving in emergencies.
The cremation order is valid for ten days, but can be extended, as the coroner’s expect a new upsurge due to the New Year’s holiday, as deaths tend to occur 4-6 weeks after gatherings, and
the capacity of the proper management system, including hospitals, funeral homes, crematoria and the Coroner’s office, is exceeded. ‘