CANADA'S COVID-19

Bereaved Canadians struggle and adapt and grieve under COVID-19 measures

A funeral for Paula Lock hart was held in Kentville, N.S., last week, after the 55-year-old passed away following a long battle with cancer. For Paula’s son Keith, it wasn’t the service he expected.

Most of his mother’s wide circle of friends, and some relatives living out of the country, were unable to attend due to restrictions on group gatherings, instead watching remotely by live stream.

The few dozen in attendance were seated six feet apart. There were no hugs during or after the service. It was difficult for Lock hart to see his grandmother seated across the room without a comforting hand within reach.

“It was good for her to be there, but it was hard to watch because no parent should outlive their child,” Lock hart said by phone from his home in Ottawa.

“It was kind of hard not to be able to comfort her during the service.”

The global COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the grieving process for many across Canada. Those grappling with losing a loved one are also contending with travel restrictions, isolation and limits on gatherings keeping them apart from family and friends when they need them most.

A mid-March service at a St. John’s, N.L., funeral home was later linked to more than half of the province’s known cases of COVID-19, illustrating the ease in which the virus can spread in such settings.

But religious leaders, family members and funeral directors say it’s not easy to keep people separated when they are grieving.

Cancellation of flights in Canada;