Backlog Of Bodies Halts Cremation Limits In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — To help crematoriums contend with a backlog of corpses due to COVID-19, on Wednesday the South Coast Air Quality Management District announced it was expanding its emergency order to temporarily suspend limits on cremations in Riverside County.

Riverside County Public Health and the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's Bureau made the request to South Coast AQMD to better respond to the current emergency, according to the agency.

Permits for crematoriums contain limits on the number of human remains that may be cremated each month, based on potential air quality impacts, according to South Coast AQMD, but the COVID-19 pandemic has substantially increased the number of deaths in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties compared to pre-pandemic years. The death toll has put pressure on crematoriums and mortuaries.

County Emergency Management Department Director Bruce Barton told the Board of Supervisors last month that some hospitals' morgues were unable to meet storage needs, and the county ordered multiple refrigerated trailers for temporary holding of remains until they could be transferred for burial or cremation services.

Since Jan. 4, Riverside County has reported 1,182 COVID-19 deaths. The county's overall death toll stood at 3,278 on Wednesday. It's unclear how many of those victims were being cremated.

Wednesday's order is in effect until Feb. 13 and can be extended if needed, according to South Coast AQMD.

South Coast AQMD is the air pollution control agency for major portions of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Wednesday's order extends orders already in effect for Los Angeles and Orange counties.