Dozens of bodies loaded up for cremation as NYC funeral homes struggle to keep up with demand

April 29 2020 - QUEENS, New York: Funeral directors at the Gerard J. Neufeld Funeral Home in Elmhurst are swamped. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the workload for this small, family owned funeral home, operated by Joe Neufeld, has increased significantly, "The phone just went crazy."
25 bodies were being prepared to be moved to a crematorium in Vermont with a total of 80 bodies going out for cremation this week.
Neufeld says that because there are only 2 crematories in Queens they started backing up very quickly, he said he spoke to one today and their next available date was May 23.
The four-man team decided that if they were going to continue operating during the crisis, they would have to end visitation and serve only direct-burial or cremation cases only, this means that some family members who weren't able to see their loved ones after they entered the hospital, are also unable to identify their bodies before cremation, and they rely only on copies of tags and wristbands placed on the patients when admitted to hospital and at their time of death,
As night fell, Joe and another funeral director, Omar Rodriguez, assisted in moving each of the bodies into the truck parked outside that will be taking them to Vermont Crematorium.
Rodriguez says he carries two stretchers in his personal car in order to pick up bodies on his way to work emphasizing that they have no time to waste.
Video by Oliya Scootercaster (FNTV freedomnews.tv)
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[@kashabrown2692]

I need to see my loved ones body before Cremation just to make sure it’s really them

[@bradlerh]

wow, i'm overwhelmed by all the compassion...

[@ThomasCullen-jp4fy]

That's Cuomo.

[@naturalmystics-kd9vt]

A job like this will leave any human traumatized man crazy insane insane for ever

[@vazzoxTito]

nah, ima 19 year old mortician assistant and handle dead bodies everyday i work, u get dumb to it after the 2nd day

[@nyc1655]

Have the funeral in the family home like they do in the islands 🌴

[@EricFortuneJr.]

Can’t do that during covid. It’s a risk of exposure and depending on the circumstances it can also be a biohazard or exposure to whatever they died from (if it’s indeed covid).

[@peterbills4129]

Thanks Oliya.

[@blackbuddyrich5787]

This is planet Earth 🙏 enter threw 1 door exit out the other. 600 million years ago there were dinosaur. If you find one bone you're a rich man, bless you love your neighbor,

[@normanlovesirsaxalot2991]

Wow!

[@jerrybaker433]

Those trailers are for perishable food

[@orodriguez6156]

true..and they can even store human remains in a pinch.

[@jerrybaker433]

Bodies on a reefer truck hell o

[@orodriguez6156]

Didn’t find any reefer. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@jerrybaker433]

What a bad businessman you distespect familys that way

[@nanners829]

Sad but what else can they do. They said all they can do is direct burials & cremations & they have had to adapt. My family has been doing direct cremations by going right to the source. It's very cost effective & all but 1 of 5 were under $1000.00. We used a broker for my moms husband who used the same crematorium & they charged $1500.00.

[@orodriguez6156]

Next time…you should come by and help us poor businessmen who served nearly 500 families in a matter of 3 months. You might make us better businessmen, if you last 5 minutes.

[@captainkeyboard1007]

@@nanners829That coronavirus pandemic changed the way things have been done ordinarily. Since the morgue refrigerators are filled to capacity, the burdens have been imposed on the funeral directors. In fact, the funeral homes were made to bear a few corpses in chapels and slumber or reposing rooms, and some as Jewish or Muslim and few others that have refrigerators were not intended to store large amounts of corpses in each establishment. Nearly 9000 people died in a single day during the coronavirus pandemic which is much higher than those who were killed on September 11, 2001.

[@nelsonfernandez7473]

Organized, mafia

[@jerrybaker433]

Tglhis is discusting .not letting family id loved oned. Put these funeral providers out of business

[@davidmillan2057]

LIES

[@orodriguez6156]

Uh-huh! Come by and visit sometime.