NEW ORLEANS — The death toll from the Coronavirus in Louisiana topped 2,000 deaths Tuesday, standing at 2,042.
A patriarch of New Orleans Jazz, an Orleans Sheriff’s deputy, a former judge, a WWII veteran and a 43-year old mother from St. Gabriel. They’re among the people who’ve died from COVID-19 in Louisiana.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Tiffany Simmons.
Simmons is the general manager at Lake Lawn Metairie funeral home. In mid- March, they handled their first COVID-related service. Since then Simmons says it’s grown exponentially.
Part of their duty is to provide serenity during some of the most trying times in people’s lives. Now they must do it during a time of pandemic. Seeing so much grief can take its toll.
“Because we’re essential personnel just like the medical staff, I’ve seen it mostly taxing on our employees. They’re coming to work every day serving these families and they are taking the burden of grief as much as they can to try and make this difficult time easier,” Simmons said.
Funeral homes must now help grieving families say their last goodbyes with dignity, but also a certain level of safety.
“Everything has changed for us in the last two months. Most of our arrangements are done through webcasting, phone arrangements, DocuSign documents, funerals are limited to 10 people,” Simmons said.
That means the chapel on site won’t be full for the foreseeable future. Many funeral homes have had to secure more space to accommodate the number of people dying from the virus. They also have to follow new safety guidelines in handling the bodies of those patients.
“It’s really forced us to think differently, but still keep compassion on the frontline,” Simmons said.
More Stories
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.
