Council member: City could turn to temporary burials in parks as COVID-19 stresses morgue capacity

As coronavirus continues to spread across New York City, one health care official says the city will soon face the “gruesome reality” of temporary burials.
New York City Council health committee chair Mark Levine tweeted that due to the number of bodies increasing on a daily basis, the freezers at OCME facilities in Manhattan and Brooklyn will soon be full.
Levine said the temporary burials will most likely be in city parks. He said it will be dignified and orderly, but a very trying and tough time for New Yorkers.
He said the typical hospital morgue holds up to 15 bodies. As those have become full, the city had sent out 80 refrigerated trailers to hospitals that can hold about 100 bodies each. Levine said many of these trailers have already become full.
The Department of Defense and New York’s National Guard have sent teams and volunteers from around the country to assist New York in the fight.
When asked during a news conference on Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said he would not go into detail about the temporary burials. However, he did say the city does have the capacity for it.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he has not heard anything about burying bodies in parks.