Cremations in Los Angeles County are normally capped to protect air quality—but so many people are dying of COVID-19 there that regulators have suspended the limit. “The current rate of death is more than double that of pre-pandemic years, leading to hospitals, funeral homes, and crematoriums exceeding capacity without the ability to process the backlog of cases,” the South Coast Air Quality Management District said in a statement announcing the 10-day emergency measure. The county has recorded more than 13,000 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic, with as many as 200 some days.
