The lack of storage space for those who have died from the coronavirus forced the agency that regulates air quality across Southland to issue an emergency order on Sunday evening to lift the limit on the number of cremations allowed. The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued an emergency order to temporarily suspend permit requirements for crematoria.
CBS Los Angeles reports that the warrant was issued at the request of both the Los Angeles County coroner’s office and the LA County Department of Public Health.
The air quality district limits the number of cremations that can take place monthly due to air quality regulations. However, the pandemic has more than doubled the death rate in the region, putting hospitals under pressure, funeral homes and crematoriums, the agency reported.
According to the order, more than 2,700 bodies have been stored in both hospitals and the coroner’s office since Jan. 15. ‘Mobile morgues’ have already been set up outside of Los Angeles County hospitals, where someone dies from the coronavirus every eight minutes, the county said last week. Twitter.
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“The current death rate is more than double that of pre-pandemic years, leading to hospitals, funeral homes and crematoriums exceeding capacity without the ability to handle the backlog,” AQMD said in a press release on Sunday. “The LA County Medical-Examiner Coroner and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health have asked South Coast AQMD to suspend cremation limits to protect public health and respond to the current emergency.”
The order is effective for at least 10 days.
As of Sunday, LA County has reported 1,014,662 coronavirus cases and 13,848 deaths from the disease. According to the latest state figures, 7,328 people were admitted to the hospital with the coronavirus in LA County on Monday. 23% of them are in intensive care beds.