By Hanna Park
(NEW YORK) The bodies of hundreds of New Yorkers who died from COVID-19 remain in refrigerated storage, more than a year after they were first set up as temporary morgues during the height of the pandemic, The Hill reported Monday.
The city’s medical examiner’s office said Friday that 750 bodies are being kept in long-term storage in refrigerated trailers at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.
"Long-term storage was created at the height of the pandemic to ensure that families could lay their loved ones to rest as they see fit," said Mark Desire, a spokesman for the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, per CNN.
A joint project from The City and the Stabile Center for Investigative Reporting at Columbia University found that between 500 to 800 bodies have been stored since April 2020, as talks continue over their final burial on Hart Island, the city's cemetery for indigent persons.
At least one city council member questioned the delay in burying New Yorkers.
“Why do we have these temporary storage facilities?” said Mark Gjonaj (D), according to The City. “If there is capacity and those families have already expressed the willingness to have their loved ones buried in a public burial at Hart Island, why are we delaying that any longer than we have to?”
Many families of those whose remains are in storage have either ended contact with city officials or expressed to have their family members buried on Hart Island, which the officials described as a quick transfer process. It is unclear what percentage of family members indicated a desire for burial on the other resting place.
“We will continue to work with families,” Dina Maniotis told the city council's health committee. “As soon as the family tells us they would like their loved one transferred to Hart Island, we do that very quickly."