An air quality agency in California has temporarily suspended limits due to the lack of storage space for those who died from the new coronavirus.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District on Sunday issued an emergency order temporarily suspending permit requirements for crematoria for at least the next ten days in Los Angeles County.
The air pollution agency limits the number of human remains that may be cremated each month, based on possible consequences for air quality. However, the pandemic caused the current death toll to skyrocket, putting hospitals, funeral homes and crematoria under pressure.
CORONAVIRUS HAS AFFECTED 1 IN 3 PEOPLE IN LOS ANGELES SINCE BEGINNING PANDEMY: OFFICIALS
National Guard members assist in processing COVID-19 deaths and placing them on January 12, 2021 at the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office (AP, File)
“The current death toll 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,” South Coast AQMD said in a news release.
The order comes at the request of the LA County coroner’s office and the LA County Department of Public Health “to protect public health and to respond to the current emergency.”
According to the order, as of Jan. 15, more than 2,700 bodies have been stored in hospitals and the coroner’s office in LA County.
Refrigerated trucks and members of the national guard were recently sent to the country to assist the coroner with the temporary storage, KTLA reported.
Meanwhile, a report released by the Los Angeles County Health Services last week said that one in three people in Los Angeles was infected with COVID-19 after the onset of the pandemic.
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Earlier this month, health officials said a person dies from the virus in LA County every eight minutes.
In the emergency order that the limits were lifted, it is noted that the coroner is expecting a new upsurge due to the New Year holidays, “as deaths tend to occur 4-6 weeks after gatherings.”
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As of Tuesday, Los Angeles County had reported more than 1,024,190 confirmed cases of coronavirus and at least 13,936 deaths due to the virus. There are 7,328 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, of which 23% are in the ICU, according to the latest numbers in the country.
Fox News’ Madeline Farber Contributed to This Report