The Coronavirus Could Lead To Funerals Being Streamed Online Instead Of Being Attended In Person

Sky News- Funerals could be streamed online if the coronavirus outbreak becomes a pandemic. The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) told Sky News that should a pandemic be declared because of COVID-19 - the disease caused by coronavirus - services could be done over the internet. In a statement, it said it was in "dialogue with the government and local authorities to seek early guidance on steps funeral directors may need to take in the event of a pandemic."

NAFD added that the steps it would take would be "determined by the severity of the outbreak" - and whether funerals would need to be "adapted in the event of a ban on public gatherings and other changes". "As well as supporting the government and local authorities in managing the impact of the additional deaths, funeral directors would be focused on helping families who lose a loved one during that time in finding meaningful ways to say goodbye - even if the funeral they would have preferred isn't possible.

"One option might include the webcasting of funeral services, as many crematoria now have these facilities - or holding a separate memorial service at a later date."

Call me crazy, but this doesn't sound like the worst thing in the world, right? Nobody likes going to funerals. You have to dress in a suit, meet at a creepy funeral home, are forced to deal with family members you don't like while also trying not to have too much fun with the family members you do, may end up crying or being locked in the never fun battle of fighting off tears, have no clue how long the services may run, walk in a graveyard that could be crawling with ghosts, and oh yeah say goodbye to a loved one for the final time.

However, an online funeral takes away all that fuss. All you gotta do is open up your browser, sign in so Aunt Judy knows you showed up, smash that Pay Respects button, open up another tab to do whatever you want during the rest of the funeral, ugly cry by yourself if necessary, and close the tab once it's done then quietly go about your day while still in your underwear or sweats. That's not exactly putting the "Fun" in funeral. But living in a world where you can make peace with the passing of someone in the comfort of your own home or on your phone is the reason Steve Jobs lifted all those weights crunched all that code. 

The only downside to this that I can find is that no funeral would mean no post-funeral lunch, which always hit different either because they are usually paid for by whoever organized the funeral or because all the sad or boring parts of the funeral are over. But if restaurants are smart, they will offer a coupon for 20% off + free delivery to anyone who watched the stream and want to eat away their pain at home instead of in a restaurant that will likely be closed to the public anyway because I imagine restaurants will be closed to the public right around the time they start closing off funerals.