4 Things to Know About Funerals and Costs During the Coronavirus Crisis

Funeral planning and funeral services have been complicated by the coronavirus pandemic, adding stress at a time when many who are grieving are also struggling with their finances and an uncertain future.

While funeral homes have adopted guidelines from health-care professionals and officials to keep themselves and grieving families and friends safe during the pandemic, consumers should expect a number of changes and be aware of their rights.
“It’s certainly affecting the way people make their decisions on what they’re going to do and how they’re going to memorialize their loved one,” says Jeffrey Wages, president at Wages & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematories in Lawrenceville, Ga.

Health Considerations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in recently issued guidelines, says that a funeral or visitation service can be held for a person who has died of the virus, but people should consider not touching the body, and activities such as kissing, washing, and shrouding should be avoided. The rules also suggest that anyone who may be infected or who is experiencing a fever, cough or other symptoms of Covid-19 not attend services.

Embalming can be conducted and burials or cremations can take place in line with any state or local requirements on handling remains of those who have died of certain infectious diseases, the CDC says. Open-casket funerals are still permitted.

Crowd Limits

In addition to CDC health guidelines, many states have issued their own recommendations on crowd sizes. The New York State Department of Health, for example, has recommended that gatherings, including wakes and memorial services, be limited to no more than 50% of the maximum capacity of the funeral home or to 50 individuals, whichever is lower.
The White House, meanwhile, has issued guidelines that people should avoid social gatherings of more than 10 people through the end of April.
To keep gatherings small, many funeral homes are webcasting or livestreaming services for those who cannot attend. Others are rotating small groups of mourners into the home. Some are presenting family members with video recordings of services that they can share with others.

“Maybe a state only allows 10 guests, but with webcasting and Facebook Live, we can broadcast that service so more people can attend,” says Douglas “Dutch” Nie, president of Nie Family Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Ann Arbor, Mich. “We have people at the door so guests don’t need to touch the doorknobs, and we do a lot of wiping down between guests.”
The National Funeral Directors Association, where Nie is spokesman, has information on how to handle visitations and funerals during the crisis on its website.

Delaying Services

Some families are holding burials or cremation services with only immediate family members, then planning a memorial service for a later date, such as the deceased’s birthday. Nie, for instance, says he has several such memorial services planned for later in the year, the latest one set for August.
In some cases, embalmed bodies can be held in climate-controlled rooms until a traditional burial may be held. Wieting Family Funeral Home in Chilton, Wisc., is now holding some embalmed bodies so that family members can have the type of services they want later in the year, says funeral director Jamie Wieting. She isn’t certain how long the bodies can be held, but in the past, the home has held bodies for as long as three months after death before burial, she says.

Remain Vigilant on Costs

The “Funeral Rule,” which is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, gives consumers the right to buy only the goods and services that they want, and consumers shouldn’t allow themselves to be coerced into buying a package that they don’t want, says Patti Poss, a senior attorney with the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. In addition, the rule ensures their right to buy separate items, like caskets or urns, and services, such as embalming, from a third party and bring them to the funeral home.
Consumers also have the right to obtain pricing information on funeral goods and services over the telephone. The FTC offers a guide on shopping for funeral services on its website, which includes a checklist of funeral goods and services for which consumers may want to compare costs.

The Funeral Consumers Alliance, a nonprofit group that monitors the funeral industry, offers information on shopping around for a funeral, one’s legal rights when planning a funeral and planning a funeral during the pandemic on its website.
“If we need to work with people on price, we’re going to do that,” says Adam Martin, president of Martin Funeral, Cremation & Tribute Services, which operates several funeral homes in mid-Michigan.

One final warning: While Poss said she isn’t aware of any funeral-related scams targeting families affected by the coronavirus, it pays to be on guard because scammers often try to take advantage of disasters like the pandemic.
https://www.barrons.com/articles/four-things-to-know-about-funerals-and-costs-during-the-coronavirus-crisis-51586005202