Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (2) – 12/29/20
As the death rate in the region increases due to COVID-19, funeral home director Kevin Spitzer-Miller and his staff in South Dakota have been working 12-15 hours a day, seven days a week to accommodate. Spitzer-Miller says the number of funerals, plus the fear of gathering, has changed the way we mourn the dead—last week at a funeral for a young man, only 20 people attended. Montana Free Press shares the experiences of the region’s “last responders”—those who take over after hospital staff has done everything they can. These last responders are the coroners, morgue workers and funeral home directors who are now feeling the crush of COVID-19 as it reaches their doorstep.
