Covid-19 Updates

March 25th, 2020

All Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemeteries are open and will continue to provide interments for veterans and eligible individuals, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

However, the National Cemetery Administration is continuing to adjust its services in light of the best practices urged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in response to the COVID-19 epidemic. As a result, the NCA will now only conduct committal services at its 142 cemeteries nationwide for groups of 10 or fewer people. Larger groups will be asked to reduce their numbers or be refused service.

In addition, families should know that volunteer veterans honor guards may no longer be providing services at all cemeteries.

Starting March 23, as a matter of public health and safety, committal services and the rendering of military funeral honors, whether by military personnel or volunteer organizations, will not be conducted until further notice at VA national cemeteries. Immediate family members (limited to no more than 10 individuals) of the deceased may choose to witness the interment if desired. There is no service involved with witnessing an interment. Families will be able to view the interment of their loved one from a safe distance.

The NCA is asking funeral professionals to communicate the changes in operations to families that have interments scheduled and contact honors providers to cancel their services. Please contact the national cemetery where the interment is scheduled as soon as possible if the family wishes to postpone the interment. NCA will work to schedule a committal or memorial services at a later date for those families that choose to continue with the direct interment or postpone the interment.

NCA cemeteries will remain open to visitors but strongly urge all guests to obey local travel restrictions and avoid unnecessary travel. Visitors should expect that certain portions of a cemetery typically open to the public may be closed (for example, public information centers, chapels).

If the staff of the Cantelmi Long Funeral Homes can be of assistance, please contact us at 610-866-8059 or at info@cantelmifuneralhome.com.

March 20th, 2020

The Cantelmi Long Funeral Homes remain committed and prepared to safely care for the families it serves during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Whenever possible, the Cantelmi Long Funeral Homes will continue to enable families to participate in the rituals that are most important to them.

A member of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) and the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association (PFDA), the Cantelmi Long Funeral Homes regularly receives information via NFDA from the CDC, Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies about the evolution of COVID-19 in the United States. NFDA continues to lead the conversation with federal officials about the role of funeral service as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And according to the CDC, at this time, there is no known risk associated with being in the same room at a funeral or visitation service with the body of someone who died of confirmed or suspected COVID-19. Depending on a family’s preferences, their loved one can be safely embalmed. Families may chose either burial or cremation as usual.

At Cantelmi Long Funeral Homes, we recognize our responsibility to protect the health of those we are privileged to serve. We will continue to guide families, as we always have, in ways they can meaningfully and safely commemorate the life of their loved one, while adhering to the guidance issued by federal, state and local public health officials.

Our staff remains vigilant about cleaning our facilities and ensuring we’re all following recommended healthy habits, such as staying home when sick, washing our hands, and covering coughs and sneezes. The CDC and our local public health officials have offered a lot of helpful guidance for businesses on this topic, which we continue to follow.  

If the staff of the Cantelmi Long Funeral Homes can be of assistance, please contact us at 610-866-8059 or at info@cantelmifuneralhome.com.