Cemeteries in Spain during the covid-19 pandemic. Complementary notes on expert and lay knowledge

Identifier:  imarina:9322121

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina9322121

Authors:  Moreras, Jordi

Abstract:
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on funeral companies tested the response capacity of this industrial sector. The excess mortality required a high intensity response, whereby companies had to deal with a situation characterised by uncertainty and a certain lack of coordination with the health authorities. In this exceptional context, the cemetery regained its centrality within the funerary services system as the space designated by society for human remains. In contrast to funeral homes, which had to close during the pandemic, cemeteries could continue to provide their services albeit on a restricted basis. This text discusses the current role of cemeteries in the context of the pandemic and the changes in the way Spanish society deals with death. To this end, it analyses documents and reports produced by companies in this sector and contrasts them with the testimonies of citizens who have had no contact with the world of funeral services. Expert and lay knowledge is combined as a way to reflect upon the present and future of cemeteries.