LIVE OAK — In the wake of the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, funerals are becoming a lot more intimate.

Local funeral home directors said they are advising families to follow the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the State of Florida and the National Funeral Directors Association and avoid large visitations and services.

Douglas Udell Sr. with D.M. Udell and Sons said his funeral home is going to comply completely with those directives.

“This is a very serious thing,” Udell said, adding the funeral directors play an important role in making sure families don’t get more upset with the new regulations put into place during the emotional situation. “This is a dangerous thing and I hope we all treat it that way.

“I know that we have explained to these families, very carefully, in the right one of voice and with the right demeanor on our part. And they’re in total agreement with us.”

Jordan Daniels with Daniels Funeral Home said families have been very understanding of the changes being implemented there as well.

“That’s just how we’re trying to steer folks and, thankfully, they’ve been understanding with that,” he said. “We’re trying to balance that with, ‘Hey, it you want to private family now and then a memorial service later, we can do that.’ But for right now, it’s just basically private family service until further notice.”

Those private services are for immediate family with less than 10 members to comply with the guidelines for no mass gatherings. Udell said the seating arrangements at the funeral home also are six feet apart, as is suggested for social distancing.

“We’re limited visitation, very limited,” he said. “We don’t want it. We don’t want to give it to anybody else.”

And as difficult as that could be for friends no longer able to pay their respects and show their support, Daniels said it is much easier than the alternative. Namely, trying to hold a public service and make sure everybody follows that six feet apart guideline.

“That starts to get really complicated it you say, we’re going to have a public service but everyone keep six feet apart and don’t touch hands and that’s never going to happen,” he admitted. “It’s just easier to say, for you, for the community, we’re just going to follow this private family for now until we get some clarity from CDC at some point to do something better.

“Our community is a little more traditional so, obviously, people want to be there and support. But at the same time, I think most people understand this is a little bit of a different situation than normal. So most are OK with it. They’re not necessarily upset with us or the family, they’re just disappointed that they can’t be there to hug somebody and tell them that they’re sorry that a loved one died.”

With the limitations now placed on visitations and services, both Udell Funeral Home and Daniels Funeral Home offer the capability of live streaming or recording the service. Daniels said it is something the funeral home tested previously but there wasn’t a demand for it. While noting that times change, especially when suddenly friends can’t be there, it would require understanding and leeway on the quality.

“Right now, I would prefer not to film it with my iPhone and it’s terrible quality and people can’t hear anything,” he said, adding if a family wanted it, the staff at the funeral home would attempt to get a camera and do it as best they can.

“We try to be flexible with the family.”

Udell added about the live streaming option: “That way families can play a part in memorializing their loved ones. There’s many things we can do and not have a huge crowd because that’s a no-no.”

To Daniels, while the situation is difficult in limiting the loved ones that can attend, it still could be far worse. In fact, he said there are some countries that are currently not allowing any people to attend burials due to the virus.

“I think that would be tremendously difficult, emotionally,” he said. “I can’t imagine, ‘Hey my dad died and I have to go to the grave later.’

“That would be hard.”