WESTMINSTER, Md. (AP) - The coronavirus pandemic is contributing to more people choosing to have cremations instead of funerals in Maryland and across the nation.
The Carroll County Times reported Thursday that Maryland’s cremation rate has gone from about 35% in 2010 to more than 50% in 2020.
Jack Mitchell, a spokesman for the National Funeral Directors Association, said the nation’s turn away from religion has helped fuel the number of cremations over the years. But he said that COVID-19 restrictions on funeral size and fear of the virus have also prompted many to opt for it.
Tom Fletcher, funeral director of Fletcher Funeral & Cremation Services in Westminster, said that cremation can also be more flexible than an immediate burial with a viewing.
At the same time, he said, more people are starting to come out for funerals, but people are still cautious.
“It’s a very tough situation for families, especially those that have lost someone to COVID, because if they were in nursing home or long-term care, they haven’t been able to see them,” Fletcher said. “We have tried to accommodate as many families as we can to come into the funeral home to see their loved one for one last time before they are buried or cremated.”
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