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To our valued families and community, we want to inform you of the steps we are taking in response to COVID-19 (coronavirus) to keep you, your loved ones, and our staff safe.
The CDC and National Funeral Directors Association have put forth guidelines to help slow the spread of and help limit all of our exposure to COVID-19 and we feel it a prudent course of action to follow their recommendations.
At this time these are recommendations only and are not mandatory. These recommendations are subject to change as new information and CDC guidelines become available. In the event local, state or federal mandates are issued we will abide by those mandates.
For large events and mass gatherings, which includes visitations and funeral services, the CDC and NFDA have recommended the following.
The CDC has also recommended that all people practice social distancing, self-quarantine measures and good hand washing hygiene.
To help accomplish these measures, we are making the following recommendations to the families we serve.
We recommend a private family service and will help schedule a memorial service for a later date.
We are here to help families create personalized graveside services, in a safer, outdoor environment, that will follow the guidelines of social distancing.
We recommend that family members who are sick not attend arrangement conferences, visitations or services.
We recommend that funeral arrangement conferences be attended by essential family members only and are working on ways to offer virtual or remote arrangement planning options.
We take great pride in our level of service and in our commitment to our families and community. These safety measures will help protect our community and our team members as well. Please know that in this difficult and stressful time we are here to assist in any way we can while we keep families and our funeral home staff members safe. While we believe it is important to avoid panic, we are in an environment where many people come through the funeral home each day. There are also older members of our community-often members of the immediate family-who are at greater risk. Therefore, you will see some precautionary measures being put into place if we are assisting you with a funeral. We are constantly communicating with other funeral homes, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, hospice facilities, religious facilities and the medical examiners in various states about best practices during this crisis.
What you can do:
If you are sick, please stay at home. Please call the family upon a loss of their family member to express your condolences or post a message on our website.
If you have older family members, people in your family who are immunocompromised or/and people with underlying conditions, please encourage them to stay home.
Limit contact with other funeral attendees, even with family. This includes not shaking hands, not kissing (even on the cheeks), and not hugging. Consider elbow bumps or other alternatives in order to greet people.
Practice “social distancing” by sitting further apart at funerals, and not leaning in close to whisper to other people.
If you have a cough or sneeze, please cover your nose and mouth with a tissue, dispose of it and wash your hands immediately.
As always, wash your hands carefully and WELL.
Safety is a critical concern and we are regularly communicating with the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), CDC, local government offices and other organizations. This is an evolving situation so we will be posting updates and information articles on our website and Facebook page.
If you have questions or need any assistance, do not hesitate to contact us.
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