PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Authorities are clamoring to secure additional body storage wherever possible as U.S. officials estimate the death toll from the coronavirus could reach as high as 240,000.
The need has been compounded by private mortuary space being occupied longer than usual as people wait to bury their loved ones — regardless of how they died — because of rules on social distancing making funeral arrangements difficult.
Both public and private morgues have responded with increased demand for refrigerated trailers and trucks, hoping to have the space if they need it.
