OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The past few months, the state has seen many funeral services put on hold, partially due to families wanting to gather in groups larger than 10 to pay respects to their loved ones.
“I think people are still very on guard,” said Joe Kernke with Smith and Kernke Funeral Home.
Funeral homes across the state are now preparing for the next phase of reopening. Starting Friday, the state says funerals and weddings can resume under social distancing protocols. That means people can gather in groups larger than 10 people.
“It’s hard to gauge or to measure. I think probably we will transition very slowly,” Kernke said. “I’m not gonna restrict the numbers to an exact count.”
Kerkne says they’ll still be asking guests to practice social distancing, and they will be working with families who decided to hold off on making arrangements while the 10 or less protocol was still being enforced.
“I think we’ll have some increase but I’m not too sure that we’ll have a large increase,” Kernke said.
Further south, John M Ireland and Sons Funeral home is already inviting in groups of more than ten.
But Ireland says the last month or so hasn’t been easy.
“Probably was the most difficult thing is having to tell a family when they’ve lost a loved one and they’re grieving that only 10 can attend the funeral service,” Ireland said. “Was there a few times maybe more than 10 came? Sure. But for the most part worked out.”
Funerals were even held for some individuals who lost their life to the virus.
They’re also utilizing video services for those who still may not feel comfortable going out.
“We’ve always offered it to families, but now it’s just almost always on a daily basis that we’re doing that,” Ireland said.
But he also says he doesn’t expect everything to go back to normal overnight.
“It is gonna be a transition. I think people are still reluctant to come out in big crowds,” Ireland said.
John M. Ireland and Sons says they’ll be taking some extra steps for safety, such as putting out hand sanitizer and wiping down door handles every 15 to 20 minutes.
Continued Coronavirus Coverage
