NYC will store bodies of coronavirus victims in freezer trucks instead of mass Hart Island burials

New York City will begin temporarily storing the bodies of coronavirus victims in freezer trucks to help ease the strain on the city’s overflowing hospital morgues and overwhelmed funeral homes, officials have revealed.

The city currently has 132,467 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 9,000 people have died – the highest death toll of anywhere in the country. 

Instead of burying the overwhelming amount of dead on Hart Island as previously thought, the city will instead begin transferring bodies from morgues and refrigerated trailers to the freezer trucks over the next few days before decomposition begins, NY Daily News reported.

The trucks will not only help free up storage space for bodies in refrigerated morgues and mortuaries, but also give families and funeral directors more time to make funeral arrangements as the trucks can store the dead for up to a year.

Instead of burying the dead on Hart Island (above) as previously thought, the city will begin transferring bodies from morgues and refrigerated trailers to the freezer trucks over the next few days before decomposition begins,

The trucks will not only help free up storage space for bodies in refrigerated morgues and mortuaries, but also give families and funeral directors more time to make funeral arrangements as the trucks can store the dead for up to a year.

‘Our hearts break for families across our city as they make difficult decisions on how best to honor their loved ones,’ de Blasio spokeswoman Avery Cohen told the Daily News. ‘During these painful times, we want to ensure that families can lay their loved ones to rest when they are ready, knowing that we will keep them safe until the time is right.’

The electric-powered trucks will be stationed at an existing secure disaster morgue site in South Brooklyn.

City officials said some victims will still be buried in the mass graves on Hart Island, but only those who cannot be identified or if their body isn’t claimed by next of kin in 15 days after their date of death.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has also promised mass burials on the Bronx island would only take place if the city’s morgues run out of space. 

However it remains unclear just how much space morgues, mortuaries, hospitals and the refrigerated trucks actually have for coronavirus victims.

City officials have not yet responded to a DailyMail.com request for comment on how many freezer trucks the city has or will require, how much they cost to buy and maintain, and how many bodies each can store.

The electric-powered trucks will be station at an existing and secure disaster morgue site in South Brooklyn

The city currently has 132,467 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and has suffered over 9,000 deaths – the highest of any state in the country

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has promised mass burials on the Bronx island would only take place if the city’s morgues run out of space. However it remains unclear just how much space morgues, mortuaries, hospitals and the refrigerated trucks actually have for coronavirus victims

New York City’s hospitals and public morgue facilities have been completely overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic, overflowing with bodies as funeral homes struggle to keep up with the demand.

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, bodies of the recently deceased would normally be claimed within days. Of those that weren’t after 15 days, the bodies were sent to potter’s field at Hard Island for wither permanent or temporary interment.

Now, bodies can take several weeks to be collected for burial or cremation.

The New York Medical Examiner’s Office previously shortened the 15-day collection window to six, citing an influx of bodies as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

However, officials later retracted the motion saying it had been a mistake, adding to the confusion for grieving families.