Funerals & wakes in a Coronavirus world

One of the areas where there’s been a little more grey area than elsewhere is how funerals and wakes should take place in a COVID-19 world.
 
Earlier today, we spoke with Steven Thiele, the owner and director of the Thiele-Reid Home for Funerals in Kearny and here’s what we’ve learned.
 
Wakes my continue to take place, but no more than 50 people may attend at a time.
 
Families may opt to keep arrangements private. Some have already opted to do so, Thiele says.
 
Funeral Masses or services may take place — including at churches — but no more than 50 people may attend the Mass/service. Additionally, churches will be required to rope off every other row of pews so that there is no direct person-to-person contact.
 
Thiele says it’s also likely, in Catholic churches — and other denominations that offer communion at funeral liturgies — that the Eucharist will not be distributed to those gathered.
 
We’ll let you know if any of these regulations change — and they may change within minutes the way things have been progressing.
 
— Canessa

Learn more about the writer ...

Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.