Update | COVID-19 no grave setback to funeral sector – Lyn
Published:Monday | March 23, 2020 | 12:00 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
President of the Jamaica Association of Certified Embalmers and Funeral Directors Calvin Lyn says that they are reasonably satisfied with talks held recently with the Ministry of Health and Wellness in treating with novel coronavirus cases.
The dialogue will set the tone for public-health guidelines and protocols.
Our news team understands that the meeting with stakeholders was held via Zoom, in keeping with social-distancing protocols.
“We asked for this meeting with the Government. They answered some of our questions,” said Lyn.
Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton was not available for the meeting, but The Gleaner understands that Permanent Secretary Dunstan Bryan and other officials participated.
“We have had SARS before, we still deal with hepatitis B, we still deal with HIV/AIDS. We have to make sure that we protect ourselves and wear proper gear,” said Lyn, adding that the agenda included the ground rules of handling COVID-19 corpses.
He said that his association has been in dialogue with international funeral associations, such as the National Funeral Directors Association in the United States (US).
DISPOSAL KEY
“We link with them because most of us who are trained as members of the association were trained in America, have US basic training, and graduated from accredited institutions in the US. Disposal is really the key thing,” he said. “Cremation is the number one option, especially in corona. It’s been happening in China and elsewhere.”
Hazmat-type suits, among other equipment and gear, may become necessary.
Lyn, who has more than 46 years’ experience in the funeral home sector, told The Gleaner that because of the uncertainties associated with COVID-19, his association will be taking no chances. Among the uncertainties that funeral home stakeholders are grappling with is how long the novel coronavirus can survive on surfaces or in the air.
Funeral expenses may increase with treating with COVID-19 cases, but they are not expected to change the industry altogether, he said.
Lyn also rubbished the notion that the new guidelines against mass gatherings, with 20-person limits now in place, would cause a grave setback to the industry.
“People would postpone; we have had that for this weekend. The remains are still there, so whether it’s a month or two months’ time, you would still be doing the business, so I don’t see the need to say business has been reduced.”
The association’s president said, further, that negative chatter is mostly from the unauthorised funeral directors who, throughout this COVID-19 plight, are a threat to public health and safety and are undermining the efforts of orthodox groups.
“They undermine us by propagandising, saying that we are expensive and that we are in business long time and we are big people, they are small people,” said Lyn. “All we are saying, they should go do the training and qualify themselves, but the ministry is coming up with that regulation, and mention was made in Wednesday’s meeting.”
A previous version of this story cited March 11 as the date of Jamaica's first COVID death. That should have been March 18.