21st April, 2020
Funeral homes in Spain announced that they would begin streaming funerals online for loved ones in a bid to combat the spread of coronavirus.
According to Europa Press News Agency, relatives and friends of the deceased will be able to actively participate in ceremonies through video conferencing platforms, making reference to the Funeral Services of Madrid (SFM).
Spain, the second worst-hit country in Europe after Italy, has been under strict lockdown since March, preventing relatives from attending funerals for several weeks.
However, many relatives of more than 20,000 Spanish people, who died in the pandemic, were themselves required to self-isolate at home if they had contact with the deceased in the days before their deaths.
SFM added that relatives could choose between religious and secular services and would be given the option of including photographs, videos or audio of the deceased in the online ceremony.
“The new online services aimed to offer mourners relief from confusing and difficult to accept feelings about the death of loved ones from COVID-19.
“Normal procedure during the pandemic is for undertakers to take the dead directly from morgues straight to the cemetery,’’ SFM said.