As the number of COVID-related deaths rises across the U.S., funeral homes across the nation are being forced to turn away grieving families due to a lack of space.

Los Angeles County, in recent weeks, has become the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in California. On Friday, it posted its third-highest single-day total for coronavirus cases.

Magda Maldonado, who owns a chain of funeral homes throughout California, told the Associated Press that this is the first time she has ever had to reject customer requests.

“I’ve been in the funeral industry for 40 years and never in my life did I think that this could happen, that I’d have to tell a family, ‘No, we can’t take your family member,’” she said.

Maldonado has rented extra 50-foot refrigerators for two of the four funeral homes to try to keep up with the number of bodies.

The U.S. has seen a surge in COVID cases in recent weeks due in part to the holiday season. The death toll has surpassed 350,000.

State leaders have sought to recognize funeral home employees as essential workers so the industry's workers can receive the vaccine.

Washington, D.C. all-news radio station WTOP recently interviewed funeral general manager Dan Simons, who said the industry in Maryland is feeling the strain of the pandemic.

“Many of our funeral homes in the state of Maryland are small, mom and pop operations,” Dan Simons, who manages two funeral facilities in Maryland, told WTOP in December. “They’re family-owned organizations where if one employee gets sick, most likely they all get sick.”

Funeral homes continue to work overtime, while processes such as cremating and burying a body, obtaining death certificates, and embalming bodies have been delayed.

Norwegian funeral homes have been struggling as measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus have helped reduce overall mortality
Norwegian funeral homes have been struggling as measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus have helped reduce overall mortality AFP / Jonathan NACKSTRAND
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