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A26 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 4 april 2020
'Surreal': NY funeral homes struggle as virus deaths surge

By JAKE SEINER and way. He’s also hoping the
JOHN MINCHILLO Environmental Protection
Assciated Press Agency will lift regulations
NEW YORK (AP) — Pat Mar- that limit the hours crema-
mo walked among 20 or toriums can operate. That
so deceased in the base- would ease some of the
ment of his Brooklyn funeral backlog.
home, his protective mask “I need somebody to help
pulled down so his pleas me,” he said. “Maybe if
could be heard. they send me refrigeration,
“Every person there, they’re or guide me in a way that I
not a body,” he said. could set up a refrigerated
“They’re a father, they’re trailer that I could keep,
a mother, they’re a grand- and I could supervise.”
mother. They’re not bodies. Patrick Kearns, a fourth-
They’re people.” generation funeral director
Like many funeral homes in in Queens, said the indus-
New York and around the try has never experienced
globe, Marmo’s business is anything like this. His family
in crisis as he tries to meet was prepared on 9/11 for
surging demand amid the their business to be over-
coronavirus pandemic run, but with so many bod-
that has killed around 1,400 ies lost amid the rubble, the
people in New York City Pat Marmo, owner of Daniel J. Schaefer Funeral Home, is interviewed in his body holding facility, rush never came.
alone, according to a tally hoping for assistance in handling the overflow of clients stemming from COVID-19 deaths, He’s seeing it now. The Ke-
Thursday, April 2, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Like many funeral homes in New
from Johns Hopkins Univer- York and around the globe, Marmo's business is in crisis. "This is a state of emergency," he said. arns’ business in Rego Park
sity. His two cellphones and "We need help." is just minutes from Elm-
the office line are ringing (AP Photo/John Minchillo) hurst Hospital, a hot spot
constantly. He’s apologiz- squeezed on one side by and stacked on shelves in “It’s surreal,” he said. in the city, which itself has
ing to families at the start inundated hospitals trying the basement and anoth- Hospitals in New York have emerged as the epicen-
of every conversation for to offload bodies, and on er dozen in his secondary been using refrigerated ter of the U.S. outbreak.
being unusually terse, and the other by the fact that chapel room, both chilled trucks to store the dead, Through the first 15 days
begging them to insist hos- cemeteries and crematori- by air conditioners. and Marmo is trying to of March, the family’s four
pitals hold their dead loved ums are booked for a week He estimated that more find his own. One compa- funeral homes held 15 ser-
ones as long as possible. at least, sometimes two. than 60% had died of the ny quoted him a price of vices. In the second half of
His company is equipped Marmo let The Associat- new coronavirus. For most $6,000 per month, and oth- the month, they had 40.
to handle 40 to 60 cases ed Press into his Daniel J. people, the virus causes ers are refusing outright be- Like Marmo, Kearns has
at a time, no problem. On Schaefer funeral home in mild or moderate symp- cause they don’t want their converted a small chapel
Thursday morning, it was the Sunset Park neighbor- toms, but for some, es- equipment used for bodies. into a makeshift refrigera-
taking care of 185. hood of Brooklyn on Thurs- pecially older adults and Even if he gets a truck, he tor with an air conditioner.
“This is a state of emer- day to show how dire the people with existing health has nowhere obvious to put Other funeral directors told
gency,” he said. “We need situation has become. problems, it can cause it. He’s wondering if the po- The Associated Press this
help.” He has about 20 embalmed more severe illness and lice station across the street week they were prepared
Funeral directors are being bodies stored on gurneys lead to death. might let him use its drive- to take similar measures.q

With parks closed, Disney starts furloughs in 2 weeks

By MIKE SCHNEIDER mandatory decrees from the parks closed in mid-
Associated Press government officials have March due to coronavirus
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Say- shut down a majority of our concerns and that will con-
ing they don't know when businesses," the statement tinue through April 18, the
they'll be able to re-open said. company said.
many of their business- The statement did not say Employees can also apply
es with the coronavirus how many of Walt Disney paid vacation time to the
spreading, Walt Disney Co. World's more than 75,000 start of their furlough if they
officials announced they employees or Disneyland's desire, the company said.
will start furloughing some 31,000 workers would be Late last week, SeaWorld
workers in two weeks at its furloughed, but it would Entertainment said it was
theme parks resorts in Flori- involve executive, salaried furloughing 90% of its work-
da and California. and hourly non-union em- ers because the novel
The statement released ployees. coronavirus had forced
late Thursday from The Walt In this Jan. 22, 2015, file photo, visitors walk toward Sleeping Disney World has the larg- the company to close its 12
Disney Co. said the first Beauty's Castle in the background at Disneyland Resort in est number of workers at theme parks.
wave of furloughs will start Anaheim, Calif. Saying they don't know when they'll be able to a single location in the U.S. The company had 4,700
April 19 and involve work- re-open many of their businesses with the coronavirus spreading, More than half of its work- full-time employees, ap-
Walt Disney Co. officials announced they will start furloughing
ers whose jobs aren't nec- workers in two weeks at its theme parks resorts in Florida and ers are covered by a union proximately 12,000 part-
essary at this time. Anyone California. The statement released late Thursday, April 2, 2020 contract. time employees and the
who is furloughed will re- from The Walt Disney Co. said the first wave of furloughs will start The company has been company hires more than
main a Disney employee, April 19 and involve workers whose jobs aren't necessary at this paying workers and provid- 4,000 additional seasonal
the company said. time. ing health care benefits at workers, according to its
“Over the last few weeks, (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) its theme park resorts since annual report. q