The COVID-19 pandemic has taken the lives of more than 6,400 Kentuckians. The grief has been intensified by health precautions that limit how many people can attend a funeral.
A funeral home in Christian County has added a safe way for friends and family to grieve.
Taylor’s Funeral Home in Hopkinsville broke through a brick wall to add a four-by-eight-foot window two weeks ago.
The first window broke, but a new one is now in place to allow friends and family to safely view the funeral chapel from their cars.
Owner Terry Taylor has been in the funeral business for 22 years and said even with COVID-19 safety precaution place, many people have told him they still don’t feel safe being indoors with a group of people.
“COVID has been very difficult. We have buried a lot of people that we knew, family and friends, it’s been terrible," said Taylor. "We hope this never happens again, but if it does, we gotta have something in place.”
The Taylor funeral chapel holds about 220 people, and that’s currently reduced to 120 under COVID safety guidelines.
If the family requests making use of the drive-through, the casket is placed near the window a couple of hours before the visitation or funeral.
Those who feel safer at the drive-through window can take a few minutes to pay their respects, then move on to allow those in the next car to do the same.
The casket is then moved in front of the pulpit in the chapel beore the in-person visitation or funeral begins.
