Name: Funeral directors in Wisconsin can finally get vaccinated against COVID, but their staffs can't
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Funeral directors in Wisconsin can finally get vaccinated against COVID, but their staffs can't

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Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily.Please subscribe to keep reading. You can cancel at any time.Loading&amp;hellp;{{title}}{{description}}{{banner}}(renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax){{tagline}}{{special_title}}{{html}}You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.© 2022 Lee EnterprisesShare ThisFuneral directors in Wisconsin can finally get vaccinated against COVID, but their staffs can'tShare thisUNION GROVE — Two hours.That’s how long it took Glen Miller, funeral director at , to transport the body of someone who had died from COVID-19 from Green Bay in the early days of the pandemic.“I picked up one of the first decedents (of COVID-19) from Wisconsin,” Miller said.Miller recalled not knowing whether exposure to someone who had died from the coronavirus could “potentially kill” him. At that time, the National Funeral Directors Association , Miller said.Miller said that funeral directors and funeral home staffs are more exposed to the coronavirus than people would think. He said if someone has died from COVID-19, it’s a possibility that a close family member or friend may be a carrier, therefore putting funeral staff at risk.This uncertainty made Miller extra diligent in securing the vaccine for him and his colleagues. He said he noticed funeral home directors were initially not listed in until recently, so he began reaching out to local and state officials advocating for a spot on the list.Fortunately, Miller said, the responded to him with a plan to get him and the other funeral directors at Miller-Reisman vaccinated.“I’m relieved we’re finally getting it,” Miller said.CRCHD also called the , said Darryl Sturino, who is the owner and a funeral director there.“Everybody’s looking forward to it,” Sturino said of his staff who are receiving the vaccine. “We’re taking our necessary steps.”Funeral directors are in Phase 1A for the vaccine, but that does not include their support staff.Michael Langendorf, funeral director at , said his support staff members are just as exposed as the funeral directors.“They’re working funerals, meeting with families,” Langendorf said, “so we’re concerned about those staff members as well.”Langendorf said the majority of his support staff is made up of semiretired older individuals, therefore putting them at the at-risk category for serious complications due to COVID-19, according to the .Langendorf reached out to and was able to get all of his employees — including the support staff — the vaccine. But the funeral home had to pay for it.Miller said he has not asked for his support staff, who are also older, to come back to the funeral home for work since the pandemic began.“We didn’t want to risk having them exposed,” Miller said, adding if they wanted the vaccine, he would work with CRCHD to get them the vaccine.According to a report from the CDC comparing COVID-19 burials to Ebola burials, , but those who are handling the deceased should still wear personal protective equipment.“Some families are comfortable coming in to see the body, some are not,” Langendorf said.In the same report, the CDC said it is OK for families to see the dead body, but they are advised to socially distance from other visitors and should not touch the body without taking safety precautions.Funeral homes have adjusted to CDC’s safety guidelines. Langendorf said that “we’ve never had to ask anyone who walks in through that door to wear their mask.”When the pandemic first broke out, Langendorf said he couldn’t imagine having to livestream funerals because the services were empty. Now, he said he always livestreams funerals for family members who can’t make it.Funeral homes have seen fewer people in attendance for funerals amid the pandemic, according to Eric Daniels, funeral director at .“The pandemic has certainly changed the way people grieve,” Daniels said in an email.Langendorf said attendance for funerals were way down, but recently, he’s “seeing more people coming back to going to funerals.”Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily.A sign at&nbsp;Socially distanced chairs are seen at&nbsp;Draeger-Langendorf Funeral Home on Monday.&nbsp;{{title}}{{summary}}You don't have any notifications.Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.Topics

Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily.Please subscribe to keep reading. You can cancel at any time.Loading&amp;hellp;{{title}}{{description}}{{banner}}(renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax){{tagline}}{{special_title}}{{html}}You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.© 2022 Lee EnterprisesShare ThisFuneral directors in Wisconsin can finally get vaccinated against COVID, but their staffs can'tShare thisUNION GROVE — Two hours.That’s...

Funeral directors in Wisconsin can finally get vaccinated against COVID, but their staffs can't

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