As the mortality rate doubles during the COVID-19 pandemic, incineration limits have been raised in Los Angeles County.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) – The mortality rate during the COVID-19 pandemic is so high in Los Angeles County that an emergency order has been issued raising environmental limits on the number of incinerations that can be performed each month.

The mortality rate in the region is double that before the pandemic, leading to a long delay in hospitals, funeral homes and crematoria, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

AQMD temporarily lifts environmental restrictions on incineration to help address the remnants of bodies waiting to be removed and incinerated.

The 10-day exemption was granted following requests from the Los Angeles County Medical-Examiner Coroner and the county Department of Public Health.

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“The current death rate is more than double the pre-pandemic years, leading to hospitals, funeral homes and crematoria exceeding capacity, without the possibility of processing the rest of the cases,” said AQMD.

Los Angeles County has reported 13,848 deaths since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, including another 108 deaths reported Sunday. The county reported over 1 million cases in general.

Funeral homes and cemeteries say they have to return their families because of the number of funerals they have.

Even Rose Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary in Whittier – the nation’s largest cemetery – say it has trouble managing demand.

The 2,500-acre cemetery has seen its daily volume of calls double, and the burial process now takes at least a month, when it would normally take 5-7 days. Some families say they wait hours to reach someone at the cemetery.