Capital Region funeral homes are taking extra precautions as the state works to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Glenville Funeral Home is one local provider that's had to change things up, but their funeral directors say there are ways to still celebrate your loved ones while being safe.

"Social distancing is really hard to begin with but especially in this industry, we're known as 'huggers' and 'lovers,' " said Brittany Furman of Glenville Funeral Home.

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Furman and Michael Mason are funeral directors at Glenville Funeral Home. They say things have changed significantly for the funeral industry, with guidelines on large gatherings.

"We're trying to keep it to a minimum of immediate family," Mason said. "But we still want people to say goodbye to their loved ones at such a hard time."

While “immediate family” may be different for each family, the gathering must be fewer than 50 people to meet state guidelines and the funeral home is taking extra precautions to keep people safe.

They've limited their staff to younger workers who are less likely to have severe symptoms of COVID-19, even hiring some people part-time who have been laid off at their other jobs. They've asked older staff to stay home and stay healthy while the rate of spread is still a major concern.

"We have the chairs as far apart as possible. We have sanitizer throughout the whole funeral home. We've been cleaning, so we're trying to make sure not just our families are safe, but our staff as well," said Mason.

If you have to plan a funeral right now, it may come with some complications. Most churches are closed, but Furman says direct burials with a service at the cemetery or intimate services at the funeral home are still options, and there's more you can do when restrictions are lifted.

"We are recommending that people hold off and do memorial services at a later date," Furman said. "It can be with an urn if the person was cremated, or it can be with a photo if the casket was already buried, so there's many, many options."

You may not be able to get floral arrangements from local shops, but Furman says there are options to bring in things that have sentimental value instead.

"We will look at other options if flowers is what the family wants. If not, we can get creative. We can bring in more photos, we can look at bringing in memorabilia, or maybe something that describes the person instead of just a floral arrangement," Furman said.

Glenville Funeral Home says they and other funeral homes in the area are following state guidelines which can change on a day-by-day basis.

Meanwhile, veterans cemeteries across the country remain open, but funeral gatherings are limited to 10 people or fewer, and military honors services are discontinued until further notice.

The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs says, "Cemeteries will work to schedule a committal or memorial services at a later date for those families that choose to continue with the direct interment."

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