A National Grief Strategy: The Time Is Now
COVID-19 has affected how we live, and how we grieve. The public health restrictions in place to contain the virus, while absolutely necessary to flatten the curve, have affected the grief experience of the families and friends of the more than 600,000 Americans who have died of COVID-19 thus far, and of the thousands of others who have died of other causes during the restrictions. Also affected are those facing a life-limiting illness while alone, and those grieving an expected death of someone they cannot visit. As we are realizing that COVID-19 is here to stay, we are recognizing its impact on how we grieve: the visiting and goodbyes that didn’t occur, the family gatherings that weren’t allowed, the funeral rites limited or delayed, the grief suffered in isolation.
