Carlson-Lillemoen Funeral Home has been closely monitoring the COVID-19/ (Coronavirus) pandemic as our nation braces for the challenges that lie ahead. As much as possible we will be following the guidelines set by the Minnesota Department of Health, the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), the Minnesota Funeral Directors Association, our Minnesota governor and the White House.
They recommend that until the current public health concerns and guidelines improve, we limit our gatherings to 50% of the capacity of the facility. Churches have begun to open and we can guide families as to what the churches will be able to do to accommodate a service for your loved one. Though there may be temporary limitations or postponements on group gatherings and social distancing, we will help guide you to the best possible memorialization solution for your family. We can make funeral arrangements over the phone, in your home, or online if you do not want to come to our office. Our website and Facebook page, both offer ways to share a condolence, light a candle or share a memory. You can also mail a memorial gift to the funeral home directly and we will forward it to the family. In certain circumstances we may have the ability to Live Stream or record a service so you could watch it from home.
Our communities and the families that we serve are so very important to us. If you consider yourself to be in a high-risk group, have a compromised immune or respiratory system, or heart disease please limit your chances of exposure. If you live in or have traveled to affected areas, feel ill and have a fever, cold or flu-like symptoms, a respiratory congestion/cough or the sniffles, please stay home. Our communities do not want to spread any infections. We want you, the public and our staff to be well and safe.
Carlson-Lillemoen Funeral Home will be taking some additional precautions as well. We have continued to maintain our normal office hours from 8AM - 5PM Monday – Friday, and Saturday & Sunday by appointment. Please know that our phone is answered 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
We are committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for all of our employees and families. To ensure we have a safe and healthy workplace, we have developed the following COVID-19 Preparedness Plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our goal is to mitigate the potential for transmission of COVID-19 in our workplace and community, and that requires full cooperation among our employees and families. Only through this cooperative effort can we establish and maintain the safety and health of all people in our facility.
We are responsible for implementing and complying with all aspects of this COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. Our employees have our full support in enforcing the provisions of this policy and we encourage them to ask questions, raise safety and health concerns and offer suggestions related to the plan and its implementation. Employee involvement is essential in developing and implementing a successful COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. Our COVID-19 Preparedness Plan follows State of Minnesota Industry Guidance for our business, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidelines, federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards related to safety and health precautions required in response to COVID-19 and applicable executive orders. The plan addresses the following:
1.policies and procedures that assist in the identification of sick workers and ensure sick workers stay home;
2.implementation of engineering and administrative controls for social distancing;
3.worker hygiene and source controls;
4.workplace building and ventilation protocols;
5.workplace cleaning and disinfecting protocols;
6.drop-off, pick-up and delivery practices and protocols;
7.communications, training and supervision practices and protocols.
8.what customers and clients can do to minimize transmission;
9.additional protections and protocols for receiving and exchanging payment;
10.additional protections and protocols for managing occupancy;
11.additional protections and protocols to limit face-to-face interactions; and
12.additional protection and protocols for distancing and barriers.
Carlson-Lillemoen Funeral Home and Cremation Services is Prepared to Safely Care for Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Carlson-Lillemoen remains committed and prepared to safely care for the families it serves during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Whenever possible, we will continue to enable families to participate in the rituals that are most important to them.
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; however, federal, state and local public health guidance may impact the size of gathering a family is able to plan. Depending on a family’s preferences, their loved one can be safely embalmed. Families may choose either burial or cremation as usual.
We will continue to work with each and every family, on an individual basis, to find the best way to celebrate the life of their loved one, while adhering to the requirements of the Department of Health guidelines and protecting public safety.
Carlson-Lillemoen Funeral Home & Cremation Services regularly receives information from the CDC, Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies about the evolution of COVID-19 in the United States.
Best Practices for Funeral/Memorial services during the coronavirus crisis
Despite the impact of the current coronavirus crisis and the profound disruption it has caused to our daily lives, please know that Carlson-Lillemoen remains committed to helping families, relatives and friends say farewell to their loved ones as meaningfully as possible.
To that end, we have taken the following steps to balance the needs of mourners and guests with the recommended precautions communicated to us by the CDC.
Facility Care
•We routinely perform environmental cleaning/sanitizing throughout this facility such as countertops, doorknobs, bathrooms, tabletops, chairs, and all other frequently touched surfaces.
•We provide CDC-recommended hand sanitizers throughout this facility when handwashing is not an option.
•We provide disposable tissues throughout our facility so guests can cover sneezes and coughs, as well as trash receptacles to dispose of used tissues.
•We discourage our staff from using other’s work tools such as phones, desks, offices or other equipment whenever possible.
•We ask staff to follow social-distancing guidelines and to stay home if feeling ill.
How You Can Help
•Foremost, if you have a fever, experience a persistent cough and/or have difficulty breathing, then please do not attend a service.
•Follow social-distancing guidelines – do not kiss, hug or shake hands with other attendees and remain at lest 6 feet from others at all times
•Wash your hands frequently and/or use a provided hand sanitizer
•Sneeze or cough into a tissue and immediately toss the used tissue into a trash receptacle. We also ask that you wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer after disposing of your tissue.
•When attending a visitation and/or service, please choose a seat that follows social-distancing guidelines. We have deliberately spaced our chairs/seating areas farther apart than normal to conform to the current recommended social-distancing guidelines.
•Please know that while the CDC has said there is no COVID-19 risk posed by the body of someone who has died, it recommends not touching, kissing or having direct contact with the body of your loved one.
Keep the Faith
Throughout history, human beings have still managed to conduct the rites, rituals and services necessary to honor and remember their beloved dead during challenging times.
Therefore, despite the difficulties we now face both personally and professionally, never doubt that together, we will all get through this, for this too shall pass.
Thank you for following these guidelines and, more importantly, for granting those most affected by this loss with the gift of your personal presence – one of the most important functions of a funeral/memorial service.
Please remember that our commitment to your family will remain unchanged. We will be here in your time of need to help you with services and arrangements.
Carlson-Lillemoen Funeral Home will continue to update you on the developments surrounding the COVID-19 (coronavirus) as much as possible. Circumstances may change and guidelines may be altered with short notice.