The pandemic is taking lives. And as if that isn’t enough, it’s taking our right to grieve, too.
Holding a funeral service is crucial in one’s healing process. It buys you time until you can fully cope with the situation and accept their death. Being together with your relatives and friends in this trying time lets you have the physical comfort of a hug or a shoulder to cry on.
But with physical distancing in effect, people are forced to stay apart—not allowed to arrange mourning rituals, say goodbye nor see their lost loved one for the last time. Because of this, grieving families are searching for alternative ways to mourn. Some resort to online memorials and prayer meetings.
In the Philippines, people can turn to A Tribute To, an online obituary where they can share stories of their deceased. In no way can it come close to the comfort of an actual memorial service, but it helps in its own little way. The website encourages others to comfort, mourn with and offer support to the grievers.
Most of the posts are in honor of the frontliners who lost their lives to the virus.
The online space is an initiative by Meryl Ligunas and Stel De Vera who are currently based in Kuala Lumpur. According to the duo, the people who died because of the disease must be honored properly and “not just be a part of a statistic.”
As of writing, the world has already recorded over 200,000 COVID-19-related deaths. The number is expected to continue rising in the coming days.
Header photo courtesy of K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash
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