Officials issued an emergency order Sunday temporarily suspending the limit on the number of cremations that can be done each month in Los Angeles County due to a backlog in human remains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that officials say is “astronomically higher than we’ve ever seen.”

On Sunday, officials with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) issued an Emergency Order to temporarily suspend limits on the number of cremations that can take place each month in Los Angeles County to assist with the backlog caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s astronomically higher than we’ve ever seen,” said Richard Nunally, general manager for Eternal Valley Memorial Park in Newhall. 

The South Coast AQMD issues permits for crematoriums that contain limits on the number of human remains that may be cremated each month, based on potential air quality impacts. 

However, officials say that the current death rate is “more than double that of pre-pandemic years, leading to hospitals, funeral homes, and crematoriums exceeding capacity without the ability to process the backlog of cases.”

“It’s certainly COVID-related, but you’ve also got other factors at play,” Nunally said. “No matter what, the death rate has skyrocketed.”

As a result, officials with both the Los Angeles County Medical-Examiner Coroner and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health requested that the Emergency Order be issued in order to “protect public health and to respond to the current emergency.”

The order is in effect for 10 days from Sunday, and can be extended if warranted.

See Related: L.A. County Supervisors Call For Measures To Expand Vaccination Efforts

While the order relieves some of the strain on Nunally and Eternal Valley, the general manager explained that it did not necessarily solve the problem as a whole.

“It’s a huge strain on the whole system,” Nunally said. “(The order) does not necessarily speed things up until the very end.”

Nunally went on to describe two main “bottlenecks” that were placing the most strain on Eternal Valley: storage and manpower.

“Our biggest concern right now is just storage,” he said. “There are many cases in hospitals right now that we can not pick up because we just don’t have the space.”

Additionally, many families still wish to have funerals for their loved ones, and with many smaller, similar businesses turning families away, Eternal Valley has become inundated with requests.

“As it is right now, the earliest service they could get would be February (or) March,” he said.

For families who have lost a loved one recently, Nunally recommends that they “seriously consider” a direct burial, and plan for a memorial service at a later date in order to ensure the safety of everyone in attendance.

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