HARRISBURG – David Peake Jr., President of the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association, releases the following statement with guidance about holding funeral services, in light of restrictions due to COVID-19:

“As licensed funeral directors, we provide comfort and care to families and their friends, when a loved one dies. During this time, all funeral homes will be operating on our normal 24-hour, 7 days a week schedule to ensure that there is no interruption of service to families, regardless of the cause of death.

“Recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) about restricting the size of gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our tradition of gathering extended family and friends around us to provide comfort and share our loss during funeral services.

Federal and state officials have indicated, one way to limit the spread of COVID-19 is through limiting public gatherings (social distancing) to 10 people for the next 8 weeks. Taking this precaution will limit the exposure of our community to the Coronavirus.

“As a part of ongoing training and licensing requirements, the staff at every funeral home in Pennsylvania is trained to protect the safety of the people they serve. We always follow stringent health and safety precautions. To help us maintain as safe an environment as possible, we ask that anyone with symptoms of fever, cough or any of the other symptoms of COVID-19 refrain from attending any funeral or memorial services.

“Our sympathies go out to anyone who has experienced a loss, and now has the burden of grief during this uncertain time. We are encouraging families to talk with their funeral directors about creating a meaningful service that honors their loved one and meets the social distancing recommendations set forth by government officials.”