The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unforeseen disruptions to many lifelong human values and the social culture. For instance, funeral services and ceremonies have been a primary part of human practices for centuries. For example, Hindus have been gathering to incarcerate their dead on pyres besides the Ganges River. Also, the Muslims have always huddled together to cleanse the corpses of their fellows. However, the high infection rate of the COVID-19 virus has prompted governments worldwide to establish, in addition to health emergencies, exceptional public health measures to restrict gatherings in funerals. The pandemic has adversely affected the funeral practices, rituals, and grief experience among many communities in the US.
The Covid-19 pandemic has in many ways transformed the funereal services in America. According to Walby (2020), the rituals, especially those done collectively, help ensure unity, connection, and coordination consistent with the social theory. The ritual action allows the bereaved to mark the transience of life, acknowledge the values and impacts of their loved ones, solicit changes of roles and allow the life cycle transition. Many have to grieve in solitude in the wake of the pandemic, a uniquely difficult and unnatural feature of bereavement. Many people have shifted to using communication technologies such as online meeting platforms to conduct their funeral ceremonies. However, the growing dependence on such technologies excludes many people, including many historically marginalized communities (DiConsiglio, 2020) . Other people bereave their loved ones by parading through their neighborhoods while in their cars, while other people have to climb to the top of cemetery fences to watch their loved ones being buried. A common impulse for grieving has been to seek comfort from close family members and friends, yet the pandemic has made it impossible.
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Consequently, the severe changes in the bereavement process have several detrimental effects on the families and the close associates of the dead. The restrictions have considerably reduced the social and psychological support to the deceased. Consequently, according to research on the adverse effects of the pandemic on funeral practices, Burrell and Selman (2020) note that many of the deceased families have not been able to cope with their grief increased social fear. The exposure to the increasingly stressful situations from the deadly pandemic threat has also propagated the fear. According to Cardoso et al. (2020), social fear is usually a result of instinct or innate tendency to act protectively and survive various life threats. The action often impacts the individual's economic, psychological, and social lives and the people they live around. Further, Cardoso et al. (2020) note that social fear can often render the individual incapable of interacting with other community members in their research. Besides the social illusions, social fear also diminishes the individual's psychological well-being, leading to death anxiety, stress, and sadness, especially when confronted daily with the deadly pandemic threat. From this perspective, the barriers to the bereavement process due to the pandemic have detrimental consequences to the affected individuals' psychological, social and physical well-being.
To curtail the severe impacts of the bereavement processes and rituals, synergetic cooperation between the public and relevant authorities such as policymakers is key. Owing to the inherent risks that social gathering places on public health, public education can foster more understanding in public on the need to adhere to the social distancing protocols (CDC, 2020). Religious leaders can also consider modifying or implementing new burial practices that will also satisfy the needs and values of the people. Such measures can promote people's understanding of the need of adhering to social distancing guidelines until the government lifts the restrictions completely. As such, the adjustments will promote resilience, solidarity, and the health of the bereaved.
In summary, the Covid-19 pandemic has undermined the role and efficacy of funeral systems. Notably, the ritual is an intricate part of human nature and vital in ensuring physical and emotional comfort for the deceased. Given that the pandemic remains a great threat to public health, appropriate adjustments such as the adjustments of funeral practices can still ensure the preservation of the traditional practices.
References
Burrell, A. & Selman, L. E. (2020). How do funeral practices impact bereaved relatives' mental health, grief and bereavement? A mixed methods review with implications for COVID-19. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying . https://doi.org/10.1177/0030222820941296
Cardoso, É. A., et al. (2020). The effect of suppressing funeral rituals during the COVID-19 pandemic on bereaved families. Revista Latino-Americana De Enfermagem , 28 , 4. https://doi.org/10.1590/1518-8345.4519.3361
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2020, December 28). funeral guidance for individuals and families. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/funeral-guidance.html.
DiConsiglio, J. (2020, November 9). New mourning: How covid is altering the way we grieve . GW Today. https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/new-mourning-how-covid-altering-way-we-grieve
Walby, S. (2020). The COVID pandemic and social theory: Social democracy and public health in the crisis. European Journal of Social Theory , 24 (1), 23–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368431020970127
