Funeral parlours feel the sting of the pandemic

While the pandemic has dented the economy and caused insurmountable damage to thousands of families, many would think that funeral parlours are among the few, who are smiling their way to the bank.

Though funeral related services are making more money than usual since the beginning of the pandemic, dealing with death, especially a Covid-19 one, has brought great strain to funeral parlours.

Uresha Mishra of Phoenix Funerals in KwaZulu-Natal expressed the challenges they are facing, saying one of them is clients, who demand immediate services- which isn’t possible.

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“We cannot do removals immediately because we are inundated with deaths. We are doing the best we can and we need the community to be patient. We are capable of doing the work and not delaying on purpose,” she said.

Mishra explained that the turnaround time is not as fast as it use to be.

At times, there are delays at hospitals due to the paperwork not being ready. Due to the current demand, staff have to work around the clock, only getting at least two hours of sleep daily.

Other funeral parlours also expressed their frustrations in which they’ve asked customers to understand their position as they are doing their best in picking up bodies, conducting funerals and satisfying all customers while following Covid-19 protocols.

Icebolethu Group CEO, Nomfundo Mcoyi, confirmed at a conference towards the end of last year, that they are making more money than usual but it has come at a great cost.

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She commented that during a particular month in 2020, they had to spend R2 million on Covid-19 equipment and attire alone to ensure that funerals are officiated accordingly and that no staff member had contracted the virus. More staff had been hired to practice safety precautions.

This article was republished from Phoenix Sun with permission