LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The coronavirus has caused almost everyone to change the way they live, and that includes how they pay last respects to those who have died.
Funeral homes and families are having to adjust to new rules that prohibit large gatherings.
The family of Chester L. Cummings, who passed away earlier this week, decided to hold a drive-thru funeral Wednesday. The casket was visible through a funeral home door as mourners passed by in their cars.
“It's a tough time, I think, to lose someone for sure. It always is," said Alex Ratterman of Ratterman and Sons funeral home. "It's a little bit tougher now that churches have closed. Cemeteries have restrictions. Funeral homes have restrictions of 10 people or less."
Ratterman said drive-through funerals are an option for some families as long as they agree to social distancing rules.
“Still 10 or less family members at the funeral home, then you would allow folks to drive through but not get out of their cars just to keep that social distancing," he said.
Ratterman said drive-thru visitations are not for every family.
"Maybe they were a mentor to a lot of folks or just interacted with a lot of folks at church or just in the community," he said. "That family may want to open up and allow other people to share their grief with them."
Ratterman said the rules have changed even for burials.
“Nearly all the cemeteries in the Louisville area have reduced their visitation, or the time at the grave, to 10 or less," he said. "But families and funeral directors are to stay in their vehicles.”
Some funeral homes are now offering to hold memorial ceremonies after the crisis has passed.
The industry has come up with new ways to honor those who pass during the pandemic.
“We are getting creative in offering anything that a family might want that still fits within the guidelines that we're all kind of adhering to,” Ratterman said.
Ratterman encouraged expressing condolences on line. For those who are able to send flowers, he recommends sending them directly to the family and not to the funeral home.
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