New York City’s morgues are nearing capacity, and they expect to reach full capacity by next week according to a new report from Politico. Sources tell the news outlet that Department of Homeland Security officials have been briefed on this harsh reality. However, it’s clear to anyone seeing makeshift morgues begin to pop up outside of major hospitals in the city that capacity has already been reached at some hospitals due to the spread of COVID-19.
A FEMA spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday that New York City, Hawaii, and North Carolina have asked for federal “emergency mortuary assistance.” FEMA says that these requests are still under “review” and nothing has been approved yet. New York City already has just under 18,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the time of writing, with almost 200 dead as a result of the virus.
Dealing with growing numbers of dead Americans due to this infectious disease means that hospitals and funeral homes have to change how they normally run. It’s not simply a matter of housing the remains of those we love, but how to do that safely. New York City has been hit very hard by the virus and has been asking for—and not receiving, so far—enough aid from the federal government.
Donald Trump has told outlets he hopes the United States can pretend nothing is happening by Easter, while New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has criticized the President’s weak response. “You want a pat on the back for sending 400 ventilators. What are we going to do with 400 ventilators when we need 30,000 ventilators?”
The longer it takes for federal testing equipment, hospital equipment, and life-saving equipment to arrive in states like New York, the more emergency mortuary assistance is going to be needed.
