New York City may soon be forced to temporarily bury the dead in a park as the coronavirus overwhelms hospitals and morgues.
City councilman Mark Levine, who chairs the health committee, explained that the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, hospitals and funeral homes were running out of space to hold the bodies.
"A typical hospital morgue might hold 15 bodies. Those are now all full," Levine tweeted. "So OCME has sent out 80 refrigerated trailers to hospitals around the city. Each trailer can hold 100 bodies. These are now mostly full too. Some hospitals have had to add a 2nd or even a 3rd trailer."
Levine, an Uptown Manhattan Democrat, said the city was considering contingency plans for alternate arrangements to hold their remains in a safe and dignified manner.
"Soon we'll start 'temporary interment'," Levine said. "This likely will be done by using a NYC park for burials (yes you read that right). Trenches will be dug for 10 caskets in a line."
"It will be done in a dignified, orderly--and temporary--manner," he added. "But it will be tough for NYers to take."
Mayor Bill de Blasio declined to offer specifics but conceded that temporary burials would likely be necessary.