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| 15 Funerals a Day: The Pace of Death Stuns Brooklyn Muslims | 15 Funerals a Day: The Pace of Death Stuns Brooklyn Muslims |
| (about 2 months later) | |
| NEW YORK SHUTTERED | NEW YORK SHUTTERED |
| Al-Rayaan Muslim Funeral Services has turned to family members and fellow mourners to offer prayers and move bodies. | Al-Rayaan Muslim Funeral Services has turned to family members and fellow mourners to offer prayers and move bodies. |
| By Todd Heisler | By Todd Heisler |
| All day long, wood coffins are carried in and out of Al-Rayaan Muslim Funeral Services in Brooklyn. What is meant to be a peaceful, reflective moment for grieving families has given way to a chaotic rhythm. Workers climb into a refrigerated truck and carefully carry the dead into the funeral home for a prayer, then back out to be transported to their final resting place. | All day long, wood coffins are carried in and out of Al-Rayaan Muslim Funeral Services in Brooklyn. What is meant to be a peaceful, reflective moment for grieving families has given way to a chaotic rhythm. Workers climb into a refrigerated truck and carefully carry the dead into the funeral home for a prayer, then back out to be transported to their final resting place. |
| They do this an average of 15 times a day in recent weeks. Before coronavirus hit, the home was holding only 20 to 30 funerals a month. | They do this an average of 15 times a day in recent weeks. Before coronavirus hit, the home was holding only 20 to 30 funerals a month. |
| Outside the home on this stretch of Coney Island Avenue, families gather in small clusters waiting for their turn for a viewing. Many of the dead are immigrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh, and some don’t have family in the United States. Mourners nearby are asked to join in the recitation of the Janazah — a Muslim funeral prayer. | Outside the home on this stretch of Coney Island Avenue, families gather in small clusters waiting for their turn for a viewing. Many of the dead are immigrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh, and some don’t have family in the United States. Mourners nearby are asked to join in the recitation of the Janazah — a Muslim funeral prayer. |
| Inside, empty caskets, delivered twice a week now, lean against the walls. Each simple wooden coffin has a name written in marker. | Inside, empty caskets, delivered twice a week now, lean against the walls. Each simple wooden coffin has a name written in marker. |
| Since the coronavirus took hold of New York in March, burial rituals in the city have become more complicated. Funeral homes everywhere are backed up and overwhelmed. Many, like Al-Rayaan, have had to rely on refrigerated trucks to store the dead since social distancing restrictions, along with a significant spike in the number of deaths in the city, slowed down the pace of burials. It’s particularly disruptive for Muslims, who rarely practice embalming and whose religion dictates that the dead must be buried quickly. | Since the coronavirus took hold of New York in March, burial rituals in the city have become more complicated. Funeral homes everywhere are backed up and overwhelmed. Many, like Al-Rayaan, have had to rely on refrigerated trucks to store the dead since social distancing restrictions, along with a significant spike in the number of deaths in the city, slowed down the pace of burials. It’s particularly disruptive for Muslims, who rarely practice embalming and whose religion dictates that the dead must be buried quickly. |
| “The earth is waiting. Allah is asking for that person to be buried as soon as possible. You never want that grave to wait for you,” said Zafar Iqbal, who owns Al-Rayaan with his brother in law, Imtiaz Ahmed. | “The earth is waiting. Allah is asking for that person to be buried as soon as possible. You never want that grave to wait for you,” said Zafar Iqbal, who owns Al-Rayaan with his brother in law, Imtiaz Ahmed. |
| Mr. Ahmed, an immigrant from Pakistan who used to drive a taxi, was initially reluctant to enter the funeral business. But his brother-in-law persuaded him, and three years ago they started Al-Rayaan. | Mr. Ahmed, an immigrant from Pakistan who used to drive a taxi, was initially reluctant to enter the funeral business. But his brother-in-law persuaded him, and three years ago they started Al-Rayaan. |
| They chose the narrow storefront on Coney Island Avenue partly because of its proximity to the mosque next door. | They chose the narrow storefront on Coney Island Avenue partly because of its proximity to the mosque next door. |
| “I’m the guy who didn’t want to do this. Now I’m the guy who manages everything here,” Mr. Ahmed said. | “I’m the guy who didn’t want to do this. Now I’m the guy who manages everything here,” Mr. Ahmed said. |
| Despite the grueling pace, Mr. Ahmed knows he is serving his community in a time of need. When the pandemic took hold in March, many of his workers, afraid of catching the virus, stopped coming to work. Family and friends have since stepped in to help handle the arduous task of keeping up with the pace of death. | Despite the grueling pace, Mr. Ahmed knows he is serving his community in a time of need. When the pandemic took hold in March, many of his workers, afraid of catching the virus, stopped coming to work. Family and friends have since stepped in to help handle the arduous task of keeping up with the pace of death. |
| Updated June 24, 2020 | |
| Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. | |
| A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. | |
| The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. | |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | |
| “It’s not easy for any funeral home to take 15 funerals a day,” Mr. Ahmed said. | “It’s not easy for any funeral home to take 15 funerals a day,” Mr. Ahmed said. |
| In the last two months they have buried 200 people, including many who died from Covid-19. There was Ferzana Ahsan, a pharmacist from Pakistan; Aurangzabe Iqbal, a green taxi driver and father of four whose body was shipped to his native Pakistan a day before his 40th birthday; and Ferdous Hasan, whose family in Bangladesh arranged for him to be buried in New Jersey. | In the last two months they have buried 200 people, including many who died from Covid-19. There was Ferzana Ahsan, a pharmacist from Pakistan; Aurangzabe Iqbal, a green taxi driver and father of four whose body was shipped to his native Pakistan a day before his 40th birthday; and Ferdous Hasan, whose family in Bangladesh arranged for him to be buried in New Jersey. |
| Last Tuesday, as the last minivan of the day drove away from Al-Rayaan, Mr. Ahmed stood alone on the sidewalk. The afternoon sun warmed the air as he enjoyed a rare moment of quiet. After moving 14 bodies that day, including seven that were shipped back to Pakistan and the others destined for cemeteries in New Jersey and Long Island, he was hoping to call it an early day for once. | Last Tuesday, as the last minivan of the day drove away from Al-Rayaan, Mr. Ahmed stood alone on the sidewalk. The afternoon sun warmed the air as he enjoyed a rare moment of quiet. After moving 14 bodies that day, including seven that were shipped back to Pakistan and the others destined for cemeteries in New Jersey and Long Island, he was hoping to call it an early day for once. |
| “Death is certain. It doesn’t matter if there’s an epidemic or not,” he said. | “Death is certain. It doesn’t matter if there’s an epidemic or not,” he said. |
| Then a visitor arrived and his phone rang. He went back inside. | Then a visitor arrived and his phone rang. He went back inside. |