SLO mortuaries can work overtime as COVID-19 becomes leading local cause of death, city says
On the same day that the number of San Luis Obispo County residents who have died due to COVID-19 exceeded 100, the city of San Luis Obispo said that local crematory and mortuary businesses are struggling to keep pace with demand.
In response, city leaders declared that, effective immediately, those businesses may extend hours of operations as needed “to protect the public health, safety and welfare during such time as the declared pandemic emergency continues,” according to a Friday news release.
The emergency proclamation was issued Thursday night by San Luis Obispo city manager Derek Johnson under special authority granted during times of crisis “to make and issue rules and regulations on matters reasonably related to the protection of life and property,” the release said.
On Jan. 6, public health officials said the novel coronavirus has become the No. 1 cause of death in San Luis Obispo County.
The San Luis Obispo City Council will be asked to ratify the order at its next scheduled meeting Jan. 12, the city said in the release.
“I can’t think of a clearer sign of the times than this,” Johnson wrote in the news release.
“We need everyone to do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19, now more than ever,” he added. “Each of us has the power to save lives by wearing face coverings, avoiding gatherings, staying at least six feet away from people outside our households, washing our hands often, and staying home as much as possible.”
The city said its emergency proclamation comes following requests from San Luis Obispo businesses Wheeler-Smith Mortuary and Reis Family Mortuary asking the city to remove restrictions on hours of operation due to increased demand and projections of additional post-holiday deaths.
Under city zoning rules, crematory and mortuary businesses may only operate Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
According to health experts, coronavirus cases transmitted during the holidays have not yet been fully documented due to the two- to 14-day incubation period of the virus.
Hospitalizations typically occur two to three weeks following the onset of symptoms, with approximately 1% of all cases being fatal, the city said.
Wheeler-Smith Mortuary and the Reis Family Mortuary are the two crematory or mortuary businesses that operate in the city, but their service areas extending countywide, the city said.
On Dec. 18, 2020, the San Luis Obispo City Council issued a joint statement calling for increased vigilance in following public health orders, fearing holiday gatherings could quickly overwhelm health care resources, expose those most vulnerable and cause further economic impacts.
County health officials have said that the recent spike in cases means it is likely more people have been exposed to COVID-19.
“This virus has claimed more than 100 local lives,” Dr. Penny Borenstein, county public health officer, said in a news release Friday. “Those are mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles, children and grandparents who were not ready to die and whose deaths were, in fact, preventable.”
For more information, visit www.ReadySLO.org or call the recorded Public Health Information Line at 805-788-2903. A staffed phone assistance center at 805-543-2444 is available Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to assist with questions related to COVID-19.
For more information about the city of San Luis Obispo’s response to COVID-19, visit www.slocity.org/covid19, register for City News e-notifications at www.slocity.org or follow the city of San Luis Obispo on social media.
